Moonsong Glacier pittaq ▱

Moonwoman gazed up at him, and the panther gazed back. Slowly, he came to understand that she had no real help for him. Her star woman has a daughter who needed her, and her son and his wife needed to be close to her own family. He would not try to take them from the places they were needed. But he still felt the need to ask — 

"If they did come," he said, his tongue feeling clumsy, "Would they not lead this village themselves? I am not one of the sunshine people. I cannot lead them in your ways. And how can village Moonsong thrive without a moon?"

He sought her wisdom! These questions were asked without frustration, for her felt sure the answers would be given to him quickly now that he had moonwoman before him. He was quiet while she spoke; attentive. A story unfolded, and his expression grew hard as new truths were made known to him. Oh, he should have known! He felt a vicious stab of vindication; he told himself he was not surprised by the other man's history.

But that expression broke when he realized his own father's story was just as checkered, if not moreso. And if he could love Aditya, then perhaps he had no business passing judgement on the trader.

Still though, he thought. The man had led young Ariadne astray.

He followed quietly in moonwoman's wake, and, feeling listless, spoke words that had been stewing inside him since his mother's visit.

"My own brother has come back to life," he told her, his weary voice oddly devoid of emotion. "He did not thrive as a babe. My mother took his spirit back into herself for safe-keeping."