Qeya River fear the light, fear the breath

no, she answered without preamble.

he comes from the caribou-people; i only began to learn after we met. i was away, sent to learn from hunters, when he came to the river.

it seemed innocuous enough to let this be known. sulukinak was thoughtful for a moment, and asked her own question in her pointed way: why do you follow him? if she truly was not one of the river-people, she had no ties to the land and sulukinak could not see any reason for ash to stay — so what had been offered?

perhaps the sun eater was beginning to move on from red leaf? sulukinak could hope.