Ocean's Breath Plateau tikalaak

Chakliux’s son was not a face she knew well. Raiyuk and herself interacted, of course. But she did not wish to push herself upon a boy who had lost his mother so suddenly, and she had not been in a position to be a parent to him.

Now, though, she thought at the very least they could be friends.

The cold sliced through the air outside the lodge, but inside, body heat kept the walls warm and the brief flashes of sun warmed the packed walls. Tullik was working the skin of a fish, ripping strips between her teeth and setting them aside to dry for jerky. Not that it would taste the best, but the nutrients were hard to ignore.

Then, Raiyuk’s voice, raising from the lodge’s entrance. Tullik turned, her ears raising, to greet the boy with a little smile.

Raiyuk! You may come in, if you wish! Her voice was warm, pleased to see the boy.