Moonsong Glacier freyja's tears

He wanted her to lead the way. It wasn't such a strange thing to ask, given that this was her home and he was a stranger to it, but Sulukinak was not accustomed to doing such a thing. She was always made to follow her brothers in the long-dark of her home; or was most comfortable following at Dutch's heel; but now she was alone, and she had offered this boy something to eat. She moved ahead with hesitant steps, at first turning her head to watch him as if he might sprout extra legs or vanish if she didn't keep an eye on him; but gradually she went to a forward-facing posture, and only her ears pivoted to keep tabs on him.

They did not have to travel for long, although it was mostly downhill as the rocky terrain of the glacier became something more alpine, and the rich scent of pine trees became the dominant factor to the air. Sulukinak did not speak as she led him along; she only stopped a few times to inspect odd scents, or to check patches of dirt which might have been caches at one point or another, but she did not dig them out, and the pair would go off again on another path.

Finally she came to a bald patch of earth which was mostly exposed granite, heaps of moss and tilled earth with new grass struggling to grow throughout. Sulukinak ducked beneath a tree which grew bent-shaped from the soil, the likes of which should've died years ago when it had cracked in half but had not, somehow; and she began to dig.