Moonsong Glacier And we won't let it in

Another time, Dutch might have taken the chance to disparage the woman — all in loving jest, of course! But at this, he had to concede: "Very much so." He was still a little awed by the strange magicks she'd called on to bring his brother back to life.

Simbelmyne's forgiveness soothed some of the ache in his spirit, but little could save him from the spiral of self-doubt that stress had imposed on him. It would take more time for him to find his footing. In the meantime, he continued to feel strangely brittle. It made him wish for the lodge by the sea, and for Tulugak's confident presence, and yes, even for his mother. He tracked these things in his mind, tracing them to their origins but finding little peace in his understanding of them.

"Not well," he admitted, subdued. "He got away. There was a bear. I was injured, for a time."

He let out a slow, uneven breath.

"Much has happened since we last spoke," he told her. "Ariadne and Kaluktuk have left us. Many of the wolves that I departed from were not here when I returned. There is... a darkness. In the valley." He turned his face away, searching for better news to pass on. He grasped on one thing:

"Chakliux fares well," he told her, mustering up some enthusiasm. "His sons grow strong. His wives have come into season. I visited — " A comforting warmth sparked in his chest. "In the springtime, they will be the blood of my blood."