Shadewood qairulik ☄

the den she had found was little more than an overhang, brushed with stiff ivy-leaves and frozen moss. it was nothing like the proud ulaq in which she had been born, in which she had grown up. nor was it like the one she had shared with her mate those short months.

but it was enough, the islander had decided. because she did not yet have pelts for a suitable bed, she brought leaves into the darkness and spread them out to dry. two fish lay split upon a flat rock outside the denmouth. it was not hers, and yet it was.

kukutux sat at the entrance, dappled by the light of the falling sun, and sent up a prayer of thanks for what the spirits had given her. the girl's heart still ached, however, but she would not let herself think their names. let them rest.