Ocean's Breath Plateau Gerudo Valley theme

It had been relatively easy to retrace his steps along the coast. Each night he would camp beneath the stars, the fruits of that day's journey serving as a well-earned dinner. Sometimes he would hunt the nests of seabirds for the odd unsupervised chick, but most often he scavenged. It was hard traveling alone. When the plateau finally came into view, the boy could hardly contain his excitement and resisted the urge to ditch everything and race straight to the lodge. 

Snowmelt had been replaced by vibrant spring flowers - he set his sealskin bundle of gifts at his feet before his voice called for @Chakliux. Nestled in the pouch lay the oily pelt of a sea otter and strips of dried salmon for his father and his wives, as well as the tusk of a young walrus that he was sure the children would enjoy. For Raiyuk, the feathers of a loon had been fashioned into a decorative shawl to match the one slung currently over his shoulders.

He was sure much had changed, but for now, his message was joyous and tinged with emotion. I'm home!

his leg was no better when he woke. chakliux stared grimly at the livid red seeping along that fore-ankle, scuffed at it with his other paw, smearing dirt there, and went back into the lodge with the morning's meal. 
kukutux had given him a pouch of round soft leaves to chew for @Marina, three times daily; he dutifully had administered as many doses as his wife would allow, gently insisting on water and caribou fat to follow.
often he wished her to fall asleep in his embrace.
but this day, the seal hunter stepped wearily from the lodge, eyes narrowing toward the place where cen and red leaf had made their den. 
may oil father judge the soul of that man.
a sweeter thing came now; the voice of taggak on the briny air! chakliux whooped back in answer and ran to meet the young man, ignoring the pain in his leg.
taggak! he grabbed the other in a strong embrace, stood back to look at him, then hugged him again. "you are home! back!" the younger was strong, hale; he wore the sea upon him and within his eyes. "come! tell me everything! and," his eyes glowed. "you have three new brothers and two sisters."

Oblivious to the shadow that currently lay over Moontide, Taggak could hardly contain his excitement as his father's shout echoed in return. 

"Dad!" He sank into white fur, arms drawing him closer as he breathed in his father's familiar musk. All of a sudden, the events of the past few months came crashing down into a choked sob. Oh, he had missed his family so much! Chakliux wished to know everything and, of course, he would oblige.

As the two began to return to the lodge, his misty gaze refused to look at anything but his father. "I would love to see them," he congratulated, ears flicking to the sealskin now slung over his shoulders. "Look- I even got them a toy! Five is, wow - five is a lot. They will have to learn to share." It was as overwhelming as it was exciting to know their family had expanded so much in his absence.

"I met a boy." His cheeks flushed slightly as he went on to recount, well, almost everything. Of the boy's absent father, his delayed seal hunt. "He gave me the name Taggak - shadow - and taught me the seal-hunter language. I learned a lot. I missed you."

taggak. he liked that; it showed in the glow of his eyes. he nosed at the carryskin, noting with open pride that it was made of seal. had taggak hunted the animal himself? "it is a lot!" he said boisterously. "and each one of them fits their name."
they walked, taggak speaking of a boy he had met. a seal boy, chakliux found, and with even more delight. "i missed you, traveller." 
in many ways, taggak could impart something of manhood to raiyuk. he had journeyed and seen new places with fresh eyes. it was something chakliux wished for all his children, to go out into the world and decide later if they wished to come back.
and equally, so equally, he was deeply happy that raiyuk was still in moontide.
"are you staying?" chakliux asked as the lodge came into view, now three where one had only stood. raiyuk's was small and proud, perfect for a young man, and the empty shelter had been finished, usable now by guests. "or will you travel again?"

"It was made by the boy's mother," he detailed as Chakliux took an interest in the skin. "They both were keen to pick out gifts for you all. From one seal village to another." He was beaming now, for his mother had taught him things that the men of Moontide could not. Patience and acceptance, and that a late coming of manhood was not all that defined a boy. 

The familiar outline of the lodge along with a second - and a third! - had Taggak wide eyed with amazement. "You have been busy!" Chakliux' question brought a moment of thoughtfulness. Quietly, he wondered where he might stay. Intruding on his brother's felt... out of place. Then, perhaps, he might stay with his father and his wives again? 

"I will stay for a time. I wish to know my brothers and sisters - and hunt seal with the boys next winter. Perhaps, I will finally earn my scars." At that, he grinned. Besides, he could not pass up the opportunity to be an older brother! "How is everyone? How are you?"

"a seal village! my son has lived away with other seal hunters," chakliux exulted. "if you travel back, i will send suks of cormorant skin. the ones here have a green tint to their feathers that will earn you much in trade."
"you remember dutch," he murmured, pausing in the trail. "he has married, to a woman named simbelmyne who was once from moonspear, and he has taken his wolves to live in the deep forest which is southeast of moontide." it was a suggestion to visit, though chakliux had seen enough maturity in taggak as not to guide him to such conclusions.
"at first they had come to stay, but moontide grew great with seal hunter children!" chakliux laughed. "they hope to have a family of their own, but they will remain one with us."
what else! what else indeed.
"ariadne, first of moonsong, now called morningsong, she has come back. she returned to her mother's village and lives there with her husband now, and their young. it seems — she has been apologizing for having left at all. and me, taggak? i am well! i am happy. there is much to do and the pups grow so fast they will soon be hunting the sea by autumn."
a solemn look replaced a last soft chuckle. "marina is ill. and there is a man, actually, ah, rodyn, heph, and others went to capture him yesterday, i think. a bad man who came here with his wife."

"Yes! It was quite the experience," Taggak preened at his father's praise. His stay had been short but he had emerged well-versed in many things that he hoped to build upon once more in Moontide. The idea of returning was met with an enthusiastic nod. With any luck, he would cross paths with the seal boy again, but for now, his attention was set on the wellbeing of his family.

Dutch was around, "The storyteller - I had noticed him near." Despite their brief time together, Taggak longed to build on his relationship with the man. He was intriguing, after all, and perhaps their shared love of adventure would prove to be a way of bonding. Ariadne too had returned. he felt his brow furrow slightly at this, though his expression quickly smoothed with a laugh. "I am happy for her, truly, and for Dutch and his wife and their kids. Well - future kids, I guess. But most of all, I am happy for you, Dad."

His words were honest, but ended in a deflated sigh. The last time trouble had sunk its teeth into Moontide, it had been at the hands of a man. To hear that another had so swiftly taken his place worried him to no end. Pressing his pelt to his father he tried to offer support the best he could. "Let me watch them - the babies, I mean. Whenever you guys need a break. And Marina," he swallowed thickly, "whatever I can do to help, you name it." He left the unsaid the promise of protecting his younger siblings from whatever evil this man harboured.

"they will welcome this. you have brothers in sirmiq, chagak, and sea hunter, and sisters in kilalurak and puffin. bring gifts! their teeth are very sharp," he chuckled, and on impulse reached to tug the boy back into a lingering embrace. "it is so good to have you home."
they trudged on. "always there is help to be done with the hunting. tullik hunts birds high in the cliffs; climb with her. or perhaps you and raiyuk might soon take the little ones to the tide pools. they must learn to hunt also!"
he admired the sealskin once more. "did you learn to do this? some seal men learn, but i do not have the mind to be one of them," chakliux chortled, his eyes dancing.

"I look forward to meeting them," he grinned, embracing his father again in turn and breathing in his familiar scent. It was strange; he hadn't quite realised how much he had missed his family until distance no longer kept them apart. 

The suggestion to hunt was met with an affirmative and enthusiastic nod. He recalled his childhood days of hunting crabs on the beach with Iseul, and stealing eggs on the journey to the sea-ice place. All things he was by no means an expert on, but was excited to be able to teach his younger siblings. "They have the best teachers," he nudged Chakliux's shoulder playfully, unaware of the soreness present in his leg. "You, me, Raiyuk - soon they will conquer the seas!"

As the focus of the conversation shifted to the sealskin, Taggak passed it proudly to his father if he wished to inspect it further. "She let me help - a little. My technique was, uh, not the best. It takes patience to make one as nice as this." He paused, regretfully, "I wish I had stayed longer to learn more of her crafts." 

"perhaps here you can learn more," chakliux suggested. "there are smaller seal now coming close as the days are warm. we have taken one so far. it will be good to have another hunter," he grunted, looking with pride at taggak once more.
"now, we will go to the lodge," he decided. "we will build your own, too, soon" he chose, "even if you only sleep there sometimes."
a seal hunter man needed his own lodge, unless he meant to share with raiyuk. he held up the sealskin pouch, muttered warmly over its finery, turned it once, and then handed it back. "tullik will enjoy seeing this!"