Ouroboros Spine kapvik

Akkuma is NPC right now, but tagged for the reference!

Kigipigak had been hunting. He had found a weasel in the forest and chased after it, only he did not intend to kill it himself.

He had caught up a few times and fought with the creature; it was desperate, the way it snaked and bit the air, but he was quick and broke one leg and then another. It struggled now and that was pitiful, and unfair, but it wasn't a concern to Kigipigak.

He crooned through the trees to where he knew @Kivaluk was playing with his brother. @Akkuma reacted first, looking over. Kigipigak grabbed for the weasel and after grabbing it, tossed it in to the grass where it writhed and struggled. It was time for a lesson.

though there is a part of kivaluk that knows it would be beneficial to be socializing with more of moonglow — be it meeting more adults or playing with the other children — he knows his brother is not keen on others ( too vividly, he remembers even the exchange with amalia who was of natigvik ) and so, happily, spends the morning playing exclusively with him.

though kivaluk was prickly in and of himself among strangers — he frequently reminds himself that moonglow was family: just as natigvik; but outside the safety and familiarity of qeya river it was hard to keep that in mind all the time.

he is so busy wrestling with akkuma that he doesn't even hear kigipigak's approaching footfalls. it is only when the weasel lands with a soft thud nearby that kivaluk puts a halt on his wrestling and launches, instinctively, at the dead prey — stopping himself only when he sees his father's legs.

oh, hi papa! kivaluk chirrups then, saliva pooling in his mouth but he resists the urge to tear into it as his gaze rises to look up at his father's face: an unspoken question lingering in the hold of kivaluk's gaze, in the soft, uncertain flutter of his ears as they slide back, closer to his skull.

One boy reacts immediately, leaping for the weasel as it struggles in the grass. It freezes in place for a moment as if to feign death - but the pain it is experiencing from the broken limbs makes it gasp and twitch, so the ruse is finished as swiftly as it began. Akkuma stares after his brother, keeping his distance and catching his breath after playing so vehemently with his brother; Kigipigak watches this and assesses both of them.

Kivaluk! You have good instinct. He commends the boy, but says nothing about Akkuma who blinks owlishly at him; the weasel is meant to be a reward for good behavior here within Moonglow but also, as it still lives, the boys are meant to test themselves upon it. That there is -- before Kigipigak can get another word out, the weasel shrieks and dives from underneath Kivaluk! It is struggling to drag its hind legs with it, but trying desperately to escape; its movements are erratic enough to be hard to anticipate.

That is for you! Catch it quickly, it is in pain. That is the lesson Kigipigak is trying to impart with this pivotal first kill: that it need not be a moment of suffering. It was too bad Kigipigak hadn't thought more thoroughly on how to propose such a concept; he could have taken the boys on a hunt rather than bringing it to them.

it is still alive! this startles kivaluk whom was quick to assume that it was a corpse — for prior all of the catches brought to him ( and akkuma ) had been already deceased. he starts, recoiling back in blatant surprise as the weasel gasps and squeals, violently trying to wrench itself away from kivaluk. wha—!? quickly, kivaluk looks up at kigipigak ( unfortunately, akkuma was momentarily forgotten in the sudden excitement of this new development ) and then back at the weasel.

hurriedly, kivaluk tries to collect himself and scurries after it though the poor thing hadn't managed to hobble too far.

it is in pain...— these words echo in kivaluk's head as his focus locks onto his quarry. though it put up a little bit of a fight — a natural want to save it's own life — kivaluk grasps and bites as hard as he can, letting out a small sigh of relief that echoes the creature's last breath. gently, though it is now actually a corpse, kivaluk releases his hold and peers up at kigipigak, studying his father for his reaction; craving his praise.

One son was slow to respond, the other quick. It would be Kivaluk that pounced the thing and obeyed his father's command; that or he saw the pain within the creature and sought to end it for mercy's sake - either way, it no longer struggled, and Kivaluk had one kill under his proverbial belt.

Very good! Kigipigak's voice boomed. The man advanced to where Kivaluk sat over the carcass of the weasel and looked upon his son with great pride; even though it was a canned-hunt, so to speak, it was a great achievement.

One day, you will be a fine hunter. Both of you, he looked to Akkuma who sulked quietly beside. Now, what will you do with that?

The weasel was in tatters. It wasn't enough fur to be made in to anything, but Kigipigak did not know furs. If the boys were hungry they could eat, or perhaps put the thing away for the future; this too was a test, and Kigipigak would not be the one to choose for them.

kivaluk preens beneath his father's praise; and having achieved what he desires, puffs his chest, lingering in the praise that washes over him. his tail thumps the ground as he reclines upon his huanches, peering from his father to akkuma.

his ears cup forth, attention going back to his father as he questions. what to do with it? he silently ponders the question for a moment before his gaze goes back to akkuma where it lingers for a few moments.

'kuma can decide. kivaluk proclaims.

to kivaluk, this only seems fair. he noses the weasel towards akkuma who sulks beside him and takes a step to the side so he isn't crowding his brother's space.

after akkuma decides what he wishes to do with the weasel, kivaluk eagerly awaits what kigipigak has in store for the rest of their time together; eager to learn.