Ouroboros Spine green leaf

Shikoba lived a good, long life and this was something to be celebrated.

Hunting among the dancing lights… Seal looked up to one of the three sisters as her boughs swayed gently in the wind.

“Oh, I learned so much…” Seal was happy to report. “Bridget showed me a side of medicine I didnae ken existed… how tae heal the mind. Grief… sadness… anger… stress… skills an’ herbs tae help invisible wounds.” This facet of healing garnered Seal’s fascination. “Teya taught me how to map the stars and navigate with them… but she told me they change with the season, except Polaris, and so every night I watch them closely…

“When Chikadee and Kivaluk moved tae Brecheliant an’ had their children… well, it felt like the right time tae continue my journey,” she added, smiling at Moonwoman.

And then, she thought of the dancing stars the night she had met Chani in the meadow. “I think… I think the ancestors spoke tae me,” she said in a quiet voice filled with wonder.