Ouroboros Spine it'll eat away at your knees until you are left with nothing

if shikoba was a psychic, perhaps she could see the possible and unforseen damage this act of duty may cause. but she lives in the present, the future can wait until she is there. for now, she recounts the sin of nuak from the past and intends to rectify them in the present. kukutux's words are in agreement to shikoba, with a minor compromise thrown in.

while shikoba would shoot it down, she can only think about why the moon woman goes through all of this trouble to begin with. it is because she sees ostrega spirit in him, a spirit of someone dear to her who is gone now. the pheasant tail only hopes that this is true, that nuak truly does hold something of moonspear in his blood. a saving grace that would not work had it not been for the duck intervening with her own neck.

"let it be done," she says with an affirmative nod, "if tupilak no longer in nuak, after all of this, moonglow trust him." a final test of nuak, to see if he will be worth the trouble that the duck is willing to go through for him. if not, then he will never return to the spine unless he wishes his death date to be rushed. "will first hunter mark him?" some may consider it an honor to bear down on the boy while others may think of it as a cheap opportunity. for shikoba, it is a chance for her to redeem herself.