Ouroboros Spine kapvik

though there is a part of kivaluk that knows it would be beneficial to be socializing with more of moonglow — be it meeting more adults or playing with the other children — he knows his brother is not keen on others ( too vividly, he remembers even the exchange with amalia who was of natigvik ) and so, happily, spends the morning playing exclusively with him.

though kivaluk was prickly in and of himself among strangers — he frequently reminds himself that moonglow was family: just as natigvik; but outside the safety and familiarity of qeya river it was hard to keep that in mind all the time.

he is so busy wrestling with akkuma that he doesn't even hear kigipigak's approaching footfalls. it is only when the weasel lands with a soft thud nearby that kivaluk puts a halt on his wrestling and launches, instinctively, at the dead prey — stopping himself only when he sees his father's legs.

oh, hi papa! kivaluk chirrups then, saliva pooling in his mouth but he resists the urge to tear into it as his gaze rises to look up at his father's face: an unspoken question lingering in the hold of kivaluk's gaze, in the soft, uncertain flutter of his ears as they slide back, closer to his skull.