Iktome Plains come home

His world had changed. It seemed to change each time he closed his eyes and opened them again. Kaylan was used to this. It was all he had known. It did not occur to him that life was not like this for most others. He simply learned not to trust the permanence of others. Nothing was permanent. It was useless to grow attached. That would only lead to pain when those brought close only became names and memories.

Father. Mother. Floki. Ragna. Jorunn. Charon.

He tried not to remember the names. They made something in his chest churn and ache.

Kaylan walked. It was growing colder. He remembered a storm. He remembered warm bodies. He did not remember getting separated. He did not remember how. He only remembered a changed world when his eyes had opened again.

He followed the sand. That was familiar. Nothing else was. He ate bugs and plants when he grew hungry. He would eat small game when he was lucky enough to find it. Kaylan had tried to kill a small deer on his own. It hadn't gone well. There was still a bruise.

His life consisted of sleeping and walking and eating and pissing and shitting. He wasn't happy. He wasn't sad. He simply was.

Plains weren't the best place to take a nap. He couldn't bring himself to care. There was little difference in living or dying. Whatever would happen would happen. The male sank to the ground and laid down near a boulder that provided what little shelter the plains could.

He slept.