Nova Peak ν

maybe @Silatuyok? <3

---

it was not practical to return so soon.

more was needed. he had packed and had been waylaid.

at last skorpa was ready to return, swinging furred bundle to broad shoulder and seeking the last scent, a woman accepted by ayovi that he had yet to meet.

hard steps carried him along her latest track, burnbrand eyes searching.

---

<3

she stood knee-deep in the stream, pale legs unmoving as the current pulled around them. the buckskin darkened with water, her paws working the blood from its fibers in slow, methodical motions. the cold didn’t bother her.
she was humming—something old, soft, shaped by wind and moon and mountain. not a song of joy. a song of remembering.
the scent hit her before the sound—earth, blood, rank. heavy footfalls. her ears swiveled. she did not turn yet.
only when the shadow broke through the brush did she lift her head, gaze meeting his with quiet, unwavering calm.
she dipped her head in respect, voice low and lilting.
then she straightened, pulling the hide from the stream, water streaming from its edge.
this for den. for...kaldros. she said his name softly, like he was made of snow.

---

frostfire. wary. skorpa nodded at her work. "good." it had become a taciturn catchall for when he wanted to express gratitude and interest. "elowen new mother. will — like."

for a moment the burntbrand eyes studied her, and then he lifted his chin. "i skorpa. ayovi's mand." he enjoyed introducing himself that way, a subtle and consistent deference to his strong and beautiful wife as head of their billowing household.

a wide dirty paw gestured. "where you learn?"

---

she dipped her head at his words—good—and her ears twitched with quiet approval. praise did not need to be loud to be felt.
his name was given, along with the title she recognized by tone, if not by structure. mand. her eyes softened, a flicker of warmth stirring behind their pale sheen.
silatuyok, she offered gently, tail brushing behind her in slow rhythm. moon sky.
he gestured, and she followed the motion of his paw, understanding dawning like morning on the tundra.
eh… how do say… she searched, brow knitting as she turned inward, then pointed lightly to her chest. tuhkumi’naa.
the word lilted like song off her tongue, foreign but full of meaning. she gave a small smile.
learn from my… sa’napi. she touched her shoulder, her voice softer now.
a beat passed, snow swirling gently between them.
she teach me many. how skin. how cut. how speak with... plants.
she looked up at him again.

---

like the others assembling upon the mountain, silatuyok too spoke a language that differed from common. this one, however, brought a grunt of surprise to the bearsword. "you speak in ayovi word," skorpa commented, intrigued to hear his wife's familiar syllables blooming in this stranger's voice.

her mother had taught her these things, and skorpa buried his internal quip about the worth of his own dam's mentoring.

"is good," perhaps now prosaic. big sky. moon sky. did they use the stars? "how you find winsook?"

---

she blinked, surprised, then lowered her head in a small, respectful nod.
yes, she answered, simple, soft. sa’napi teach. from far-sky people. moon-path.
her accent held the lilt of old winds and wide snow, but the warmth in her voice was genuine. she looked to the mountain now, then back to him.
winsook… she paused, searching.
...look like dream. her nose twitched, eyes squinting a little with thought. high. quiet. strong.
she tapped a paw to the ground gently.
feel like... place to stay.

---

far sky. skorpa was beginning to lose the thread of their conversation. did she mean she had been born to ayovi's people as one of them? or that she had only been taught and trained? whatever the true answer, winsook welcomed one of skill.

"is dream," he agreed, not smiling but with a jubilant cast to his features. "place to stay." place to live.

unsure of what else to ask, he cleared his throat. "ayovi — out there," gesture to taiga. "darukaal and saatsine fight, maybe. other clans in north. she offer greenheal to reindeer-chasers." the northman's chin jutted. "i go back, meet her. come back soon."

---

silatuyok listened to his words, ears flicking as she continued her work. her gaze briefly met his, and then her eyes returned to the bones before her. her words were sparse, but clear.
maybe... take... she gestured toward him, her nose wrinkling slightly at his scent, before she gestured to the air, her tone not unkind. ehh... water... make nice.
she tilted her head, considering his next words carefully. her gaze turned to the far sky, the wind pulling at her fur.
she didn't ask more, her focus returning to her work. the words were enough for now.

---

a tight chuckle rippled through the man's dirtied fur, and the fragrant bearpelt besides. "not like?" he teased in a dry voice, face unchanging. "keep other hunter away." wolves, cats, bears — who might abide his stench long enough to raid?

glittering red teeth showed themselves, but only for a moment. "ayovi like." yes. she did, and she would welcome him in such display.

skorpa lifted a paw to indicate the soaked pelt. "i carry? where?"

---

his chuckle surprised her most of all. sila was not a woman to draw attention from men, no less married ones. it was a keen feeling to think about it— bringing a male joy instead of the promise of futility and obeisance.
she shrugged at his desire to keep others away. it was something she could agree with, although she could never do herself. she was precise about the way her furs were kept. neatly patted down and often fragrant with the oils she worked with.
that is... what were the words she was looking for? what, er...m-matters? yes, i think. matters.
for a wife to be in love with her husband. is that not what she sought, too?
no yet. she looked to the pelt. still soak. then to his bear hide, you want me... to wash?

---

her eyes alit upon the equally fragrant hide he wore. the image of silatuyok wringing out his bearfur in the cold water was not one he felt ayovi might appreciate. and for himself, it was almost too intimate, not when he had carried things in this pelt and looked down at his wife framed against the dark brown hairs.

"no. thank you," skorpa answered, feeling now at a loss seeing as there was nothing else to do. "i bring — any-thing?" the smelly man inquired, wishing to ask before he simply went on to other things. it would not be biddable of him to do otherwise.

---

silatuyok gives him a small nod, her eyes still lingering on the hide he wore, before turning them to the distance. the air around her is thick with scents—earthy and cold, mingling with the sharpness of fresh hides. she dips her head in quiet thought.
no. is good. she says, the words simple enough. it is clear she does not wish for further assistance at this moment. she lets the silence hang between them, as if weighing the offer.

---

"ah. well. you call, if need help?" skorpa offered, even as he nodded and began to retreat.

he was not certain if this had been a successful meet or not, but he felt accomplished at least in having begun getting to know the others on the mountain.

a last nod; unless she paused him, skorpa turned and padded back to the other tasks he had listed in his mind.

---

---

silatuyok gives a small nod, her expression softening as she acknowledges skorpa's offer. thank you, she murmurs, her voice barely more than a breath, respectful but distant. she watches him turn to leave, her eyes following his movements for a moment before she looks down at the ground, lost in thought. the air around her is still, and the quiet of the mountain feels heavier now. yet, her mind is already shifting, turning inward, preparing for the quiet work ahead. as he begins to retreat, she doesn't call after him, understanding the distance between them without needing to speak more.