Moonspear flooded

Many figures peopled teeny Treepie’s universe, which consisted solely of Sialuk’s ulaq. The most important one, at first, was Pauk. For several days, the tiny calico insisted on clinging to their brother’s hind foot, just as they had in utero. They nursed in shifts and often slept like yin and yang.

But slowly, their favor expanded to include Kaujimaq and, of course, their mother. By the end of the first week, Pie was quite familiar with them, as well as the more ephemeral presences that came and went. They adored them all, though Sialuk became the absolute center of their universe.

They woke from a nap now and immediately pressed their face into the soft fur of her underbelly, reassured by her scent and warmth. They ignored the milk on offer, instead scooting closer to Sialuk’s anterior—up and over their brother and sister, if they happened to be in the way—in the hopes of tucking into their favorite spot.

They bumped into the familiar plane of a foreleg and tried to squirm beneath it to get in between it and the other one on the far side. Tiuttuk snuggled up to their mother’s chest with a happy noise, willing her tongue closer. The little songbird always enjoyed a good bath.