Ouroboros Spine sure would like some sweet company

weooowww got carried away

kuktutux took ruenna's words quite as they sounded. the slaying of another! among the redhawks? but the more that she thought on what had been said, the more she saw it was the way of those who spoke this tongue first. 

the redleaf woman knew she had been set aside. if she committed a grave sin, would she be punished more harshly than one of the redhawk clan? it was a question well worth asking. moonwoman was silent only a moment more. "i do not know all of towhee's words," she admitted, "but — when i put sialuk next to me, it was not only that she was my daughter."

"she has a heart that is true. she is skilled. and she listens to the world that is around her, and those in moonglow who cross her path."

kukutux looked at ruenna. "did towhee say to you the other things that told her to choose you?"

the spirit moved in moonwoman.

"there was once a sister who had three brothers. she was blackbear. beside her, dark cloud. next, stone trader. and last, blackfox."

her heart was laid bare with pain once more.

"they were all of the same clan, the daughter and the hunters born of those who had built their home first. blackbear became chieftain, and with her, dark cloud. but there was old bitterness between stone trader and his brothers. blackbear loved him but stone trader grew harder and harder."

"there was blood upon the earth of their home, spilled by grey trader and dark cloud and blackbear. but it was their own blood that they had shed from the skin of one another."

moonwoman was silent for a running of seconds.

"dark cloud left the home he had always known, and went away with a woman he loved. stone trader was exiled. blackfox was placed at the side of their sister blackbear. he took a wife. dark cloud would not come back. and stone trader —"

she sought to steady herself.

"stone trader left this world to walk in the next. his family mourned. but their land still held many numbers. their clan still held its strength. peace came."

"and then their home was struck by the spirits. blackbear and blackfox did not come down from the mountain. their clan was lost. their daughters and hunters disappeared from the land until their name was almost lost. and those who see moonspear now, they say: 'look how they were strong! now they are gone!' but they do not know of the tupilaq already in moonspear, the bitter words that had made the markings of claws on the inside of the ostrega clan long before they were lost."

her eyes were somber and wet as she set them again toward ruenna. "a village must be balanced. one clan may make their name great in many ways, but if they are not equal, they will fall. your purpose in the redhawk village is great, ruenna."