Otatso Wetlands kallularuk

As he had discussed with Akavir, Kilgitsuk would explore not only the village of Swiftcurrent but go beyond it, to scout out the surrounding territories in case there were any threats. He had a basic understanding of what sort of people attacked the creek wolves: that there were possibly as many as four, and that they were deeply wounded after their first assault, so there could have been less by now or they could have dispersed.
It was easy enough to follow the riverside. There were ample trails crossing close to the northern segment that could've been animal paths for prey, or for the wolves in question; Kilgitsuk was careful, but also lacked fear. He knew himself to be imposing and in good health, and from what he knew of the assailants they were more weasel than wolf - if they were alive at all. He half expected to find frozen corpses along the way.
Eventually the river widened and the ground became more icy, as the wetlands took hold of the terrain. They made the ground curiously soft in places and slushy in others, with all that ice, so it became a chore to find a path. A few hours of fjording the mess had Kilgitsuk muddy and cold, but he had not spied upon anyone in that time - and that was a good sign.

lestan mayfair doggedly followed.
his former leader was home, without his wife or son. and he had come under a false name! which sounded so far-fetched that today the tracker was determined to find out the truth.
the white wolf ranged ahead. lestan cast his honeyflower eyes over the man's rather handsome scars and cleared his throat. "are you back to stay, kigipigak?"

He was being followed, though not by an enemy.
Lestan appeared far behind, and Kigipigak — stuttering his steps, then stopping entirely — turned to regard him as he approached. His eyes met the other man just as Lestan cleared his throat; when he heard his name, his gaze averted.
I am Kilgitsuk here; a trader name. He spoke this as if it were as commonplace as anything, and watched Lestan after, intent that the man correct himself or at the very least, understand.
I aim to stay for the winter at least.
It would've been easy enough to explain himself to Lestan. To speak of Sakhmet's return without their son, and his failures as a father, but it was not his way. Emotion was to be swallowed deep. Kigipigak had proven he was not a leader to be followed or a father to be relied upon, but Kilgitsuk could be someone else.

for a long time the man only looked at the white wolf.
and then, "all right, kilgitsuk."
was it right or wrong that shame flared in him now?
lestan did not understand, not at all. but he sensed this was a foolish reason to pick a quarrel over. and so after a moment he stepped to the side of the renamed hunter. "have they moved on?" he asked of the rogues who had attacked and fled.

The man accepted the change outwardly. Lestan was not of northern blood and perhaps did not understand why Kigipigak insisted on this, but - it did not matter. Only that he be obeyed for the time being.
Kilgitsuk turned and scented the air again.
I haven't found any trace of your attackers. I doubt they'd have stuck to these lowlands for long, though. It is very wet here and cold - and from what Akavir said, they were half dead and on the run.
He looked around again and then to Lestan.
Would you carry my report back to him? I will continue; there are some shelter-points I can check out before nightfall.

"not mine," lestan said softly. "i came right after, when arric and akavir were still bleeding and in possession of a — well a sort of hostage but not truly."
the young red girl. he wondered if she had gone on to live, or if she and the mauled sadey had died somewhere together. lestan hated the thought.
"yes, i will." he readied himself for the rest of it, prepared to scribe it down for their leader.

After? So the battle had happened while they were both a part of Moonglow.
The thought of the mountain strained Kilgitsuk somewhat; he contained his feelings about it, but took on a chill and a stoicism that was utterly unlike the boisterous boy he had once been. That had him spiraling mentally to thoughts of Natigvik, and so Kilgitsuk curtailed all of that by focusing on what Lestan shared next.
A captive was a good bargaining chip among rogues. Not all warriors knew how to use them to the best advantage, and it was a surprise that Akavir would utilize one; but he seemed skilled, from what Kilgitsuk observed of the man - and how Arric spoke of him, he seemed a righteous sort of leader.
Lestan looked prepared for his departure.
The wetlands are clear of wolf scent. They could be laying low somewhere, but it is unlikely they would choose a place such as this if they are wounded. I will set out, hmm, Kilgitsuk looked north, then east, but there wasn't much in either direction - and going north seemed like a deadly choice even if one was desperate, so - I will set out to the west of here, and return in a day's time.
That would be simple enough. No rogues here, but he'll keep looking — and if he wasn't back in time, they'd know why.

lestan mayfair recorded all this in his rather sharp mind; disorganized as his speech might be, his thoughts were little filing cabinets, albeit with some dust here and there. 
"all right. good luck," he said. lestan considered saying the man's trader name again, but it just felt so wrong that it would have come out quite fakely.
if the pale wolf had nothing left to say, the gamma would turn and traipse round to find a pathway home, headed straight for akavir and his report.