Qeya River split sky

He blinked in response. It sounded to him as though they’d be hunting prey that would be difficult to bring down, if they were truly larger than elk. Of the few he had seen, their antlers had been thick, velvety- but they had not been a great deal taller than a deer. 

The caribou hunter would not lie, he thought. The caribou he’d seen perhaps had been small due to captivity. There had been no fear in their eyes- not even hunger. Only tiredness. 

Wild ones must be more fierce. 

The man had conquered an entire pack with one strategic kill; the rest had been done with words. Hunting caribou- was it just another thrill for him?

He wasn’t sure if he should fear the man for his accomplishments, or aspire to be like him. It nearly made him wretch, to be faced with another impossible decision.

He felt the bile rise in his throat as the questions that had kept him up at night were voiced. He shuddered, and flattened himself to the ground. He shook his head and chattered his teeth together, uttering a pleading whine. 

”I don’t know.” His voice shook. ”I don’t know who’s still here- w-w-we lost…Some are out a-searching b-b-but the others….” He said, and shrugged his sore shoulder against the dirt. He grunted softly in pain. ”I have two children- one went missing, a m-m-month ago, the other-“ his voice caught. ”I h-h-haven’t found her yet, s-s-since-“ He swallowed heavily. 

Not since Sun Eater had killed her mother.