The panther dipped his chin in agreement; there was a power to this place. He was glad that Kukutux had shared it with him, so that he might be better in tune with the restless spirits here.
Tulugak showed no interest in food. A twinge of worry surfaced for a moment, but hunger would be there when they were ready to face it. This moment might not be. Shifting, he patted the ground with a welcoming paw. He was grateful for her presence, always — and she was one of the few here with which he felt comfortable discussing such matters.
"I think they must be," he said, still very quiet. "But what they've left behind — impressions, geist — moonwoman says that the mountain longs to be heard."
A tiny shiver raced down his spine. Sometimes the howling of the wind disturbed even him at the deathsite, but he was not afraid.
"They remind me of something a poet once said to me," he told her, growing more pensive himself. "How loss can pierce with splintered sounds, and then what stealthy tricks will play, to tangle yearning from the past, with images we strive to still; 'til longing opens sorrows shut away — a touch, a smile, a school..."
He trailed off. Some of the poem had never quite made sense to him, but Slow West had claimed that the words did not matter, so long as it meant something to him.
"The poet liked to say that he and his father were carved from the same tree. Carved from a mean tree, when he was feeling most dramatic." A tiny smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "But in my family, we don't believe in this carving. Instead, we are the branches reaching, still connected to our roots."
He looked back to the morning star.
"And our roots tangle with those who grow close," he said. "Perhaps, come spring, gray trader will find rest. There will be new life on the glacier, and the mountain will be warm again." His gaze dropped to the ground beneath his paws. He imagined he could still smell gray trader's blood. "I don't think this place is content to be history."
Tulugak showed no interest in food. A twinge of worry surfaced for a moment, but hunger would be there when they were ready to face it. This moment might not be. Shifting, he patted the ground with a welcoming paw. He was grateful for her presence, always — and she was one of the few here with which he felt comfortable discussing such matters.
"I think they must be," he said, still very quiet. "But what they've left behind — impressions, geist — moonwoman says that the mountain longs to be heard."
A tiny shiver raced down his spine. Sometimes the howling of the wind disturbed even him at the deathsite, but he was not afraid.
"They remind me of something a poet once said to me," he told her, growing more pensive himself. "How loss can pierce with splintered sounds, and then what stealthy tricks will play, to tangle yearning from the past, with images we strive to still; 'til longing opens sorrows shut away — a touch, a smile, a school..."
He trailed off. Some of the poem had never quite made sense to him, but Slow West had claimed that the words did not matter, so long as it meant something to him.
"The poet liked to say that he and his father were carved from the same tree. Carved from a mean tree, when he was feeling most dramatic." A tiny smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "But in my family, we don't believe in this carving. Instead, we are the branches reaching, still connected to our roots."
He looked back to the morning star.
"And our roots tangle with those who grow close," he said. "Perhaps, come spring, gray trader will find rest. There will be new life on the glacier, and the mountain will be warm again." His gaze dropped to the ground beneath his paws. He imagined he could still smell gray trader's blood. "I don't think this place is content to be history."
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Messages In This Thread
you've got a church and steeple - by Dutch - February 04, 2024, 07:10 PM
RE: you've got a church and steeple - by Tulugak - February 04, 2024, 07:43 PM
RE: you've got a church and steeple - by Dutch - February 04, 2024, 09:26 PM
RE: you've got a church and steeple - by Tulugak - February 05, 2024, 10:52 AM
RE: you've got a church and steeple - by Dutch - February 05, 2024, 12:32 PM
RE: you've got a church and steeple - by Tulugak - February 08, 2024, 12:02 PM
RE: you've got a church and steeple - by Dutch - February 08, 2024, 01:21 PM
RE: you've got a church and steeple - by Tulugak - February 08, 2024, 02:25 PM
RE: you've got a church and steeple - by Dutch - February 08, 2024, 03:26 PM
RE: you've got a church and steeple - by Tulugak - February 08, 2024, 05:39 PM
RE: you've got a church and steeple - by Dutch - February 08, 2024, 07:58 PM