Bearclaw Valley Tâvanimiut

Nov. 28, Edit; Ending added.

As the woman began to speak, Kove listened closely. He was still rather happy over the fact that, after having spent so much time in the Wilds, he'd finally been given the privilege of meeting another who was like himself. He wondered just how far North she hailed from, but did not bother to ask. No matter how far she'd come from, she was still an Inuit like himself, and he felt she didn't need to be bombarded with several variations of the same question. Plus, from the sound of it, she'd already dealt with enough. A feeling of empathy washed over him as he heard what had happened to her pack. Though he had most likely known none of them, he could not help but feel sorry for their separation, and possible deaths. He silently hoped that Anguta had come to take their souls with him, for those who had passed on that day. "I hope those of your pack who lived through that were able to find one another once more," he said as she finished speaking. He truly did hope that those who'd survived were reunited, but couldn't help but be glad that the woman before him had not found them. It was a selfish sense of happiness, he knew, but he had missed being around other Inuit wolves.

The ghost gave a small nod of his head, then, to show he had once shared similar fears. "I had run into a few who spoke the language during my first week of travel away from home, I believe. Just a loner here and there, and one or two packs heading for the sea to hunt. After the air started to grow warmer, though, I found no one. For awhile, it troubled me, and I had contemplated returning home, but then grew distracted by the sights of this place." Kove could still recall the moment in which he'd first entered the Wilds. He'd been immature and determined to never join a pack again, and had also hit a rough patch in which he'd felt he should be disconnected from his family and lineage. All that had changed, of course, and before he'd even realized what was happening, the man had found himself joining a pack. The ties he'd made to Teekon made him reluctant to leave, and after meeting Azaria, he was sure he never would again. "I'm glad I decided to stay here, despite the lack of other Inuits. Now that you're here, I'm sure things will be much more simple. I can only hope that more of our people eventually find this place, so perhaps someday we, and my children, will not be the only ones." It'd be wonderful if such a thing could happen, but he could not be sure if it ever would. The North was far away, and there were plenty of other habitable places along the way from it. So even if a young wolf was to leave their home, there was no guarantee they'd end up in Teekon. Disappointing, really, but there was always that sliver of hope that, eventually, someone would just continue walking until they reached the pale lupines within the valley.

When the woman returned the question of where he'd come from, there was no doubt that he'd answer it. She'd been kind enough to share with him, and so he would return the favour. "Avani, in Alaska. My birth pack resides within a forest that lies close to the imappik," the man informed her, recalling distant memories of his time spent at home. It had always been interesting in the forest. So full of life and positive energy. Fishing was a skill many were taught quickly, thanks to the close proximity to the ocean. "My immediate family still resides there. I was not forced to leave, but there was a need to travel within me that led me away. I do miss the place every now and again." Being born and raised in a place tied you to it in a way that could never be broken. While he had no plans of heading back up there any time soon, he still wondered what was going on. How everyone was doing, if he had any new relatives he needed to meet. The curiosity was not enough to lead him away, however, and his children also helped to keep him anchored. Azaria now, too, would serve as a good reason to stay, as he could not leave a fellow Inuit behind in a land where their people were practically nonexistent.

For the remainder of their time spent together, Kove did well to learn as much as he could of the woman. It felt wonderful to have her there, and he couldn't help but think it was more like home. When the time came to part ways and carry on with their days, the Inuit was reluctant to do so, but eventually gave in as he knew it was for the best. While he would do anything to spend as much time with her as possible, he knew he could not. They both had duties to attend to, and he would not be the cause of her potentially leaving a bad impression on the rest of the pack. So, Kove gave his farewells, watched her head off, then went on with whatever he needed to complete for the day.