Duskfire Glacier iqaluk

When the man spoke of the loss he was weighted, the emotion bared openly before Kigipigak. He found this strange. It was not the way of men to be so weak, he thought, and yet he held his tongue. The villages of these southern reaches held different people than he was used to — and that was something to be celebrated.

Hearing of the boys, Kigipigak nodded with the same resolute expression as before. He thought of mentioning young Veteran, but did not have the chance. Their conversation moved on to talk of the hunt as talk often did between men.

The sickness has made the caribou weak and slow. Kigipigak answered, gaining an alertness to his features now that the topic was upon something he felt confident and comfortable with.

The hunters of Moonglow have seen them walking by, with only the healthy ones running. It is as if they cannot tell where the ground is. Some I have seen, they do not eat. Others, when they are by the water, do not drink, but look at the water as if they should know it. It was baffling to Kigipigak that such weakness could be present in the population at all.

We have taken some down ourselves, but nothing grand. It is enough to feed the hunters and keep the women busy with the hides. Kigipigak drew a breath, having said much more than he meant to as he relayed this information. It felt as if he were giving a report to a superior but this man was not his superior; still, it was a good feeling.