Neverwinter Forest qitiġusianikpata

Tag for reference!

Upon finding @Kannoyak, Ariadne explained what'd happened with @Tautukpik, and assured him that things would be fine moving forward. It was with that promise that they decided to go and investigate Neverwinter Forest some. They ventured deeper into the territory than before and stumbled upon a massive lake in the northeast part of the territory. It reminded her of Lake Anik, and instantly she felt at home. 

Wow! she marveled, turning towards her friend with shining eyes. What a find! What do you say? Want to go swimming?

Ariadne had spoken to her son. Kannoyak did not voice his concerns. It was not his duty to worry about the child’s behavior or how the boy might feel regarding his father. The white hunter did not seek to replace the boy’s dad. He only wished to assist the moongirl in claiming her forest and keeping her company when she desired it.

In the woods, he did not think so much about the conversation with her son. Kannoyak enjoyed the shade, the pine scent, and the scurrying of prey paws in the dirt. By the time they discovered the lake, he did not wait to hear her words. The cotton grass man sunk his feet into the waters until it rose to his chest. He lapped at the surface of the water, grateful for the reprieve.

Kannoyak offered no reply and proceeded to walk into the lake until the water reached his chest. Ariadne trailed behind him with joy, suddenly aware of the noticeable contrast in their heights as the water rose to her neck, and she laughed as she glanced up at him. 

This may sound weird, but I never realized how tall you are until now, she admitted. You are very tall! Or maybe it is just that I am very short!

The man drank until he felt his stomach swell with the weight of it. It cooled him down nicely, sinking through his thick fur until he felt it soak his skin.

Ariadne followed him in, sinking up to her neck in the dark waters. She noted his height and the cotton grass man blinked, looking down at her with a smile. Moongirl wasn’t incorrect. Kannoyak had never noticed before but now that her size was apparent, he chuckled.

Perhaps you are small, moongirl.

The white hunter nudged her with his shoulder before he sunk entirely below the surface and held his breath.

"Perhaps you are small, moongirl," Kannoyak replied. 

Ariadne responded with another laugh, Perhaps you are right. 

He softly nudged her and went under the water, prompting her to follow suit. As she submerged herself, she opened her eyes to find the lake teeming with fish. Taking in her surroundings with excitement, she then turned back to him, curious if this was why he had led them underwater.

Once he found himself beneath the surface of the lake, it was like another world. The cool water held his large frame in gentle arms, floating among the glimmering fish - their scales like sparks of lightning when caught in the light of the sun from overhead. Kannoyak was surrounded by the beauty of the underwater village.

Ariadne joined him, her small frame hovering over the dark green of the foliage that grew from the base of the lake. Her caramel eyes were like gems, wide and curious of their surroundings. The cotton grass man used his legs to sink deeper, nearer to the bottom. The fish twirled overhead.

He churned his legs to move deeper, and she followed, wondering where he was taking them and hoping she could last long enough to find out with the amount of air she'd held in her lungs. 

They submerged themselves deeper in the lake, swimming among the grass that she'd been hover above only moments before, and she watched as the fish that'd been hiding there scattered in a frenzy. Fish were everywhere, their scales gleaming brightly in the afternoon sun, making it a truly spectacular sight. 

She glanced around before turning her curious gaze towards him, waiting to see what he would do next.

Further down until he could feel the pressure of the water pounding against his skull. The underwater weeds tickled at his legs. When he felt that he had concealed himself well in the flowy greenery, the fish did not scatter quite so quickly. Kannoyak was skilled as a hunter but he had spent years in the frozen north hunting fish in their rivers.

A snap of his teeth closed around the thick body of a fish. Bubbles erupted from his snout. The cotton grass man used his legs to push off from the bottom of the lake and rise to the surface. When he broke the water with fish clasped in his mouth, his features were soaked and full of pride.

Paddling to the shore, Kannoyak placed his catch on the sandy ground and inhaled deeply. He turned back to the water, waiting to see if Ariadne would emerge.

She watched as he caught one of the fish, pushed off the bottom of the lake, and returned to the water's surface. If she wanted to catch something too, she'd have to act quickly, as she was running out of air.

Noticing what was around her, she spotted a fish coming towards her, and without hesitating much, since he had made it seem effortless, she darted towards it but failed to catch it. Ironically, the plants caught her foot, leading to a sudden wave of panic. She thrashed, hoping to free herself, but soon she felt the last of her air escape her and everything turned to black. 

She did not return to the surface.

Dripping from head to toe, Kannoyak watched the surface of the lake with an expectant gaze. Ariadne did not emerge. His eyes narrowed on the water, searching for the telltale colors that would signal her rise to the top. It did not happen.

Head tilted, the cotton grass man shuffled on his feet. The confusion he wore was shifting, swirling together with a strong wave of worry. A low whine escaped his mouth. If Ariadne was playing a prank, Kannoyak was not amused by it. His tall white ears flattened to his head. The waters looked peaceful, serene.

Ariadne had still not surfaced.

Her heart began to slow as her body was forced into survival mode. Water filled her lungs, and her body began to sink down

Down

Down.

Birds twittered from the trees overhead. The fish he’d caught was still laying on the shore. And Kannoyak stood still for a while longer, listening for signs that the moongirl had managed to rise to the surface before him and sneak away for a surprise.

Moongirl?

No answer.

The cotton grass man stepped back into the water and barked. Still no response. If this was her idea of a clever trick, he was deeply bothered. Fish scales glittered in the depths. Kannoyak submerged himself again and saw her - sinking to the bottom, lightless eyes.

Because Ariadne was. On the bottom of the lake. Help. SOS.

Plunging back into the cool lake water did not have the same soothing sensation as it had the first time. Panic flooded his system and caused his focus to shift. He was not considering the little oxygen he had in his lungs. He was not thinking of the way that his nose filled with water and forced his eyes to sting - wicked and sharp.

Water was sucked into his lungs.

Kannoyak dug deeper, seeing Ariadne just out of reach. He pushed with the strength of his legs but the buoyancy he’d had did not seem to deter his attempts. The cotton grass man sunk too. Darkness clouded at the edges of his eyes. His teeth snapped out, trying to grip her, to pull her up. His strength faded fast.

This thread has been moved to present day.

Kannoyak didn't need to hurry because Ariadne had already passed before he got into the water. As she faced death, she thought of her family, particularly her kids, notably Nutuyikruk, who was still missing, and hoped for their happiness while she was gone.

Her fate was sealed at the lake's bottom, perpetually frozen in the instant of terror when she grasped that she wouldn't break the surface again, when all she could see was shining water around her.

It took a surprising amount of time for the pathmaker to finally reach the drowned girl. By the time his teeth found the scruff of her neck, he had exhausted every ounce of strength in his body. Her figure was weightless, gilded with sunlight cast through the dark water even to the very base of the lake. She looked as though the gods had wrapped her in their gentle hands and carried her away - somewhere peaceful, somewhere that she would not worry.

And Kannoyak did not know it in the same way that Ariadne had. When the water filled his lungs, replacing the last breath of air he had sucked in desperately on the surface, it was not with the realization that he might never see the sun or earth or clouded sky.

When Kannoyak faded from life, he thought only of the path that Ariadne had carved - a confident trail through the folds of his heart. Perhaps it was a blessing, to die so close to one he cared about. A shame, that he had never told her with the full force of his beating heart.

The cotton grass man pressed his lips to hers. A final parting. The rich plum of his eyes remained open and fixed on his moongirl’s beautiful face.

Death felt curiously close to peace. And so he embraced it.