Moonspear gone

At one time, Sialuk had been surrounded by lovers. Now, both had gone. Elentari's departure hurt less, perhaps because the hierophant had already been balancing her time with @Alaric. Chill was in the air, with temperatures beginning to dip below freezing overnight. The Ostrega soldiered on, today taking @Treepie for a hunting lesson before finding a quiet spot to rest her head for a little while. Her daughter still had far too much energy, and Sialuk assured her she was fine by herself for a time.

Sialuk's own thoughts drifted between the few members of the pack who remained. Moonshadow was quiet but steady. @Bridget remained, as far as Sialuk knew, and there was @Killdeer as well. Arrluk and Ajei would be headed to Moonglow after the large hunt gathering, which Sialuk had refrained from attending this year (mainly for Pie's sake).

The spear was quiet but Bridget did not mind. She’d missed the hunt, worrying again that her lack of practice would slow things down. The healer owed Amalia a hint, still, but she wasn’t sure she wanted so many eyes on it.

She could have joined the observers and other medics and still had a good time, but instead she’d focused on settling in. Next time, if there was another chance.

Sialuk hadn’t gone either. Bridget did not want to pry, and she recognized the leader’s closeness with Killdeer, a support she was glad for. But she saw hints of the same tendency she’d seen time and time again in Teya, the reluctance to speak about the things that are hard. As if ignoring them would make them disappear instead of causing them to sour inside you.

She could be wrong. She didn’t know Sialuk like she’d known Teya. But she still showed up with a rabbit dangling from her jaws and smiled, dropping it between them. I thought I’d grab lunch. Have you eaten yet?

A friendly face was always welcome, and Sialuk blinked as Bridget came into view. Despite all she had been through recently, Sialuk knew she should not turn away friendship when it was offered. I have not, Sialuk said, eye-balling the rabbit with hungry eyes. She waited for some kind of silent permission from Bridget to divide the rabbit, then went to work tearing it into two roughly equally sized pieces. It wasn't pretty by any means, and the high sage's muzzle and paws were smeared with blood when she was done, but it worked well enough, and she nosed the other half toward the page.

As she began to bite and rip and chew at the meal, she let herself enjoy all the sensations of eating: the taste, the smell, the sound of bones and tendons cracking, and even the sight of the half-rabbit slowly being consumed. She made short work of it even while being mindful of her eating, and she licked her lips in appreciation.

How have you been settling in? she asked, moving to lick her paws free of the smeared remains.

She hadn’t intended to share it but Bridget didn’t argue, smiling instead as Sialuk divided it. She understood not wanting to eat alone and even though it didn’t quite rate a full meal, the snack was welcome. Thanks!

Pretty well, I think. I’ve managed to collect up some supplies for winter, though quiet as things are, I hope not to need them. Bridget chuckled, settling down in a satisfied stretch before she looked back at Sialuk. Better to be overprepared than caught with your nose in a hive and no water to run to.