Moonspear The Wolverine

Her lip twitched when he referred to her by her title. Perhaps he didn’t remember her name either, which smoothed any sheepishness she might have felt over the matter. Despite the shadow on her spirit, she managed a small smile for him, a bob of her head and twitch of her tail to acknowledge their familial bonds.

He said a couple interesting things after that, which earned a contemplative look from Tiuttuk. She folded her haunches and took a seat, head tilting to one side. He was betrothed to Ajei? Did she know Ajei? Regardless, the mention of romance was a tantalizing distraction, as was the idea of hunting a wolverine.

But then she remembered she only liked weddings in theory, not practice, and that reminded her of everything else gone awry lately. Rather than ask him about his journey, Treepie swallowed a sigh and shot her uncle an apologetic look.

Of course you’re welcome to visit and hunt here, she said slowly, which was true, even before everyone decided to leave the mountain. One of her forepaws tightened into a clenched fist against the cold ground. Anang is gone. She found happiness elsewhere. And now taataa is bound to do the same…

When she phrased it like that, it made Treepie wonder if she was being unfair, a hypocrite. Why was it acceptable for Sialuk to run away to her happily ever after but not Killdeer? The thought had tears welling in her eyes, her little fist clenching even harder as she raised it to her face to swipe at them.