Moonsong Glacier akiaguk ¤ {m}

If only he could show off the might of Tartok here! Telling the stories was one way, but he felt the lessons he had learned were too harsh, and the details too bloody, to be of great impact to her. It was kind of her to ask. He enjoyed having her attention, and feared he would lose it quickly if the truth came out. Kilgitsuk's people were not like her own — if these moon villages were filled with sunshine-people, his home upon the ice was filled with blood-hungry beasts. They were worlds apart.

As to his mother, his smile became something tight-lipped and serious, his eyes distant.

You must understand first, that the women of our culture are... not like you. Kilgitsuk did not mean to imply a weakness, only a difference, and was careful to choose his words. My mother was always singularly focused; she wanted a strong man to father strong cubs, and in our tradition she would have them prove their worth to her with hunting and fighting. She raised her children to think the same way. It was not a bad life, only different from what you are used to here in the south. He did not want to make it seem as though he was not grateful for his home; he missed it dearly, sometimes.

Sedna chose the strongest man. She wanted her children to be strong, and withheld much of what you'd expect from a mother, so that we would learn to trust our hunt-brothers, and become men that could be of use to our villages. The same was expected of her daughters — and she was heavy-handed, perhaps more with them. She raised daughters so that they would eventually leave and become matriarchs of their own warrior bands.

It was the most he had ever spoken of Sedna, perhaps ever; and once he could say no more, he left a silence for Ariadne to process and to ask questions, if she had any.