Moonspear it's real quiet here

That’s fine, she assured, motioning for him to proceed. That’s a broad one, she acknowledged with a good-natured huff, her expression growing thoughtful.

She glanced at their immediate surroundings, which consisted mostly of rocky ground. Treepie caught his eye and gestured for Katmai to follow her, turning on her heel to begin ascending the mountain again. She had already given him the grand tour, so she didn’t worry about finding someplace with a view. She sought comfort instead.

A little while later, they found themselves on the open, grassy plateau that had once served as Moonspear’s official rendezvous site. Pie led Katmai to a patch of shade below a cluster of grand fir trees. She settled on her haunches, then waited for him to get comfortable before opening her mouth.

My mother, Sialuk, was born here and lived here until the strange storm struck. She and her anaa, Kukutux, founded Moonglow after that. Some time later, anaang returned to reclaim her birthright. Under her rule, Moonspear was a spiritual place of healing, among other things.

She thought of the healing ulaq, now crumbled nearly to dust on their borders. Then her mind traveled to Sialuk’s personal ulaq, which Pie had more or less buried. Tiuttuk felt a shadow pass over her spirit as she considered how to word the next part of the story.

Anaang grew unhappy here when I was still young. She and I decided to go on a field trip of sorts. She decided not to return; she was happier elsewhere. I did come back and eventually came of age and stepped up into leadership beside Alaric, who had served alongside my mother. But the village never really flourished after anaang left, she had to admit, a painful truth.

That brought them to the present day, more or less, even though Tiuttuk constantly had to remind herself that Moonspear had been vacant for months, not just the weeks she remembered. She took a deep breath, glancing into Katmai’s face and wondering if she’d answered all his questions. Her yellow gaze anticipated more to come.