Ocean's Breath Plateau star shell

Tullik focused on the practical.

Much like her former life, she did not expect the paths she took to be the same every time. She did not expect her future to be the same every time.

She tended to her home, her fellow wife, her husband, the children. She hunted to feed them. She wove carpets of dried kelp. She hid her worry beneath her work, and forced her tongue between her teeth.

When Chakliux would find her, she would be ankle deep in the surf, her head down, as if looking for minnows to entertain their children. Really, she was using the salt water to hide the tears steadily staining her cheeks.