Ghost Lion Crag tunilaaga ♢

kisuk.

arcturus was no poet, but the word rolled smooth with a sharp edge off of his tongue.

it was certainly easier to say than arcturus, which was cumbersome and sometimes, not as beautiful as other languages in the wild.

but not kisuk -- something else. tinaurak. another word with an open beginning and hard close: if there was anything arcturus liked about kukutux's language, it was that so many words in her natal tongue had that little glint, that hard edge -- he felt it as a fang pressed against his throat.

"i like the first better." arcturus speculated, feeling bashful that he might have occupied kukutux's thoughts. "neither offend me." he was quick to add, for he found himself sorry he did not have as equally a captivating response for the duck. "it is important you keep your roots alive, kukutux." arcturus' tone was soft, but solemn -- much like many of her words, he started carefully and finished with a hard bite: "do not let the mountain crush it out of you."