Ouroboros Spine attukuanniyaila

the little ones struggled.

she kept little @Nutuyikruk and akmaaksi close to her pelt-gathering and the endless stripping of hides. they gathered berries in the lake-forest and she told them the stories of lightning mother and grandfather wind, even to the brother who grew angrier and more distant as his mother began her journey. 

they grieved.

little tautukpik had grown fierce. his outbursts were received with a wide patience of the mothers watching over the children of ariadne. there was pain in him, and now her eyes turned in quiet search for kigipigak upon the pathway to the ulax.

kukutux had considered much of what she might say to the little boy, and chose to appeal not to tautukpik as a child, but as a wolf of moonglow with a part in the village.

the grandmother settled herself quietly near him, though not so near; she lowered her muzzle respectfully, offering him the recognition of his frequently-expressed emotion. "two kiiriq have been stealing strips of meat from my drying-rack," kukutux murmured. "they come early in the morning, before father sun has raised his face. i think i will sit here all night. but i am not fast enough any longer to catch them," and here she sighed, looking up toward the sky.