The Heartwood oxbalm

ghelan was loud and ungainly, irritating sun eater in a sharp way that no one else managed. his final patience evaporated at the sound of sharadoii in his son's mouth, sharadoii when he had taken such pains to only speak in the words of the cousin river clans.

"we are finding where the caribou here form their herds," he grunted, but his stride had come to a halt. those stone-blue eyes pierced. "you are lanzadoii, ghelan. do not speak in your mother's words. not any longer. at home you have relatives of blood. sulukinak, who you may call cousin. and meleys, who is my sister."

his stare was heavy. "neither of them speak sharadoii." watching ghelan a moment longer, sun eater turned and moved along the thin trail, noting where antlertine had torn bark and hungry jaws had stripped it.