Qeya River well, I know what you want from me

daring. his teeth glittered at her resistance, her boldness. "i have war chief," he told her, though posture shifted now as if to invite nagruk's persistent questioning. "you say, tartok?"

he had not heard of it, but then again she gave no indication that she knew the caribou hunters. did she want to be leader? ambition whet this one as much as it had sivaak, and he was curious.

her strength could feed saatsine. yet he did not offer, for she had not yet sought.

War Chief, she could work with that. Teeth split in a bloodstained grin as Chieftain asks of home. "Warriors. Family. Long line of women lead men to battle." She wonders then if the Lanzadoii work in similar ways.

They are fierce enough.

"I hunt more for Saatsine. Make friends, make enemies. Become War Chief, yes?" It is less a question than it is a command, ears pricking to know if he understood. Left unsaid is the desire to meet whomever held the current title; Nagruk was not inclined to share.

"ice diver is war chief. gave teeth, gave blood, gave name, to be lanzadoii. to be bloodhunter. to learn my ways." he stared at nagruk with a knowing glitter for her ambition. sun eater did not disapprove, but to promise this would be disrespect.

"what you give, tartok woman?" nothing was without exchange. "give enemies. how?" to raid, to roam and taste blood; it was eager to him but with children soon to come, he must choose careful steps.

Ice Diver. The name carves into Nagruk's stone heart. "I give blood," eyes narrow, twisting neck to display her split ear with a smirk. To fight, to conquer - she would do it for him. But One-eye wished to erase Tartok from her, in place of Lanzadoii? 

Teeth snap then, a whisker away from his dark muzzle. "But I not give name." The notion offends her greatly, seen in the way she stands tall above their kill. "Chieftain be friend, or he be enemy. Which you choose?" As if that is answer enough. She is not tied to his clan, not now her debt is trivially repaid. Either option suits her nicely; she waits for his decision.

oho! she continued to amuse sun eater, but it was her fierce femininity which reminded him of urges long unsated, now that his wife was growing round. "i be friend to nagruk," came the roll of his voice; he shook out his hackles, and did not hide in his eye that he found her appealing.

he did not think he should wish to be her enemy. "you stay, hunt with saatsine? or build close?" he asked next, drifting to the blander politics of their home. for now.

He does not flinch, but she does not expect him to. Instead, his honeyed answer draws a glittering stare from the Tartok woman before she dips her head sharply. "Good." It would have been a waste for Chieftain to turn her away, she decides.

She considers his words for a moment before coming to pad round their kill and greet him face to face. "I will stay, hunt your caribou while winter passes." It has crossed her mind to challenge One-eye for his position, but with dark man near and his clan's numbers unclear, it is a risk she is not willing to make. Not yet, at least.

it was done and he was pleased. another hunter for saatsine, another set of skilled teeth to match the others. and a woman who had his attention, though the chieftain was moved not to admit such a thing.

"the spirits will be happy," sun eater said, and looked quietly at them both before he fell to cutting skin with teeth. they would eat, take the skin, and leave what remained for those who followed.

saatsine had much. they did not need more. caribou were eternal.