Gilded Bay immulivik ⪤

kukutux gave a short nod. "aya. sun man has much status and is in the strong part of his life. he has proven he can protect a village and stand beside its moonwoman. he has raised sons and daughters. he would already have two, maybe three wives. i ask for one."

she smiled but there was a small pang in it. "another woman to share our hearth and its duties. another woman to speak the secret things of wives. in the old land, she would also share the sleeping-place of aiolos and perhaps bring more children to our ulaq. we would suckle them together." she sighed and shut her eyes. "once i had it. a sister. lote. she married a man of moonglow, a fine hunter. but the birth was hard for lote and for her children. the ice hunter turned on them as though he had a bad spirit inside him! a tupilak!"

her breath was harsh. "he left. we brought lote and her children to our home. aiolos became their father. we took the clan-name nuiruk, so that her babies and mine would be full-kin." kukutux glanced toward sakhmet. "aiolos never lay with her. he says his body only loves mine." her smile returned much light to her face. 

"so i do not seek a co-wife to lay with him. only to share company with me. lote and i spoke of many things. secret things. our children said anaa to us both. i told her words only for women who share a hearth, who share a husband. the next year she left our village in peace and went to make a new one close to us. she bore a new child by a new man. and then she was gone." 

water lapped gently at her limbs. the duck gazed out across the endless darkening surface. "i am lonely for her. there is no way to change what was done. i do not seek to replace. only to — have it again. a companion."

moonwoman had said many, many things. now she was silent.