Ouroboros Spine a night so still

Her eyes followed the muskrat as he set it down, and her ears followed his words as he spoke them. It did not matter to her that he could not hunt the same things that taataa did, and that was what she suspected Aiolos was trying to say. He was not a replacement, and Sialuk did not think he wanted to be. Still, his words wove in a way that compared him to her father.

You are a good hunter, Sialuk said, meaning the words she spoke. Would he be a good taataa for her new family? The bones had said as much, and their answer had been a decidedly clear one there. There were always many layers of meaning when she scattered them, but each one she pulled back appeared more clear than the last, which was a rarity. Anaa had chosen well.

Will you walk with me to the ulaq? Sialuk asked. With her mouth full of herbs, it would be slightly muffled, but she could still speak. You may drape the muskrat on my back so that we may talk along the way, she offered.