Moonspear angagixta ☘

now that her children were old enough for the run of moonspear, and had undoubtedly set off to meet their cousins, kukutux had much empty time. having returned to her ulaq, for she still wished to sleep there at times, the woman dragged all the pelts out of doors, discarding the most dried ones. she spent a good portion of the day carrying out the crumbles of old reeds, and pulling anything rotten from the cache alongside the domed entrance.

@Toad Amelia had come to live among them, and whilst kukutux was eager to seek the woman out, and hear about the foxes again, she found herself tied to the hearth with her delayed cleaning. if anyone were to wander in search of her, the moondrop would be there, nosing debris around the small clearing.

The rain stopped for a while and though she was tired and even a bit footsore, Meerkat took advantage of the break in the weather. She dashed up and down the mountainside, tipping her face into the sunlight she'd missed so much these past few days whenever it broke through the treetops. The youth then turned her attention from exploring the terrain to seeking out pack mates. She wanted to get to know them, all of them, just as much as she wanted to familiarize herself with the landscape.

Meerkat chose a scent trail at random and followed it to a small clearing, where a pale she-wolf appeared to be digging. The Phi approached with her head low and her tail waving, a smile on her lips. On second thought, maybe the woman was tidying a cache? There were some pelts scattered on the ground, along with some other scraps. Curious, Meerkat cocked her head as she came to a stop.

-"Hello!"- she greeted. She wanted to ask what she was doing but first things first. -"I'm Meerkat!"- Her warm brown eyes invited an introduction, though she made certain to keep them respectfully averted.

Moonspear was a new world for Toad, who had taken to the mountain rather quickly. Jarilo had shown her parts of the forests at the territory's base; this was prime hunting territory. While she knew the names of many of her new family members, face to face contact had been minimal at best. Her primary objective would be to prove to Jarilo and the others that he had been right to allow her access to the mountain. She must show them her capabilities.

An equally important priority of the day was to find and greet Kukutux whose voice of wisdom had led her down this path. Jarilo had been kind enough to point to the general direction that he and his wife had built their den. Toad steadily loped toward it, hoping that scent would guide her to where her friend might be hidden.

When she found the site, there were dried skins unceremoniously thrown a distance away. Toad sniffed at old bedding and realized that a late summer cleaning spree had insired the mother.

A stranger stood not far from her, sounding their own greeting. Kukutux, she greeted with a broad smile, her tail waving low as she moved close to the ivory lady of the mountain. She looked at the stranger, comforted some by their pleasant tone of voice. Meerkat, did you say? The newcomer seemed equally pleased to be there. I'm Toad, she said, her smile never fading. What a lucky happenstance that she would get to meet someone new as well.

it was not long before the duck was joined. a child, and not one of their own. but the young wolf was wreathed in the green scent of moonspear, and so kukutux put aside her work, offered a smile of welcome. strange movements from the honey-eyed girl, but it was her enthusiasm the mother found charming. "i greet you, meerkat. i am kukutux."

she might have said more, had not the strong figure of toad amelia arrived thereafter. "you came!" exclaimed the little moonbow, straightening to approach them both with an affable sway of her flaxen plume. here jarilo's brush, and she knew that the she-wolf had been brought among them. "i am throwing out old things," kukutux explained with a rueful gesture of her paw to the mess. her jadestone eyes returned to meerkat. "do you have hunger?" older than her pair, but the duck meant to feed all who came to her hearth.

That was probably the most exotic name Meerkat had ever heard. "Kukutux?" she repeated, looking to the woman to make sure she'd pronounced it correctly. Before anything else could be said, another wolf arrived on the scene with warm greetings, prompting the youth to shift her position to face both of them at once.

She nodded when her own name was repeated, grinning at Toad's moniker. Now that sounded much more native to her, not that Meerkat had a preference. She kept smiling and wagging her tail, pumped to make not one but two new acquaintances.

Not only was Kukutux's name foreign, she spoke with a bit of a peculiar lilt. Meerkat enjoyed this immensely, so caught up that she forgot to respond for a few beats. Catching herself, she flashed a sheepish smile and shook her head. -"No, but thank you!"-

While she didn't want food at present, the youngster could not help but consider what Kukutux had said about throwing out old things and dropped her eyes to pan over the heaps. -"If you don't need them, could I take some of them?"- she wondered, pointing at a dried skin.

As the lovely young mother drew closer, Toad nodded swiftly at her exclamation. Looking at her figure, the brown storyteller was reminded of the tale of the Crystal Cave and the image of the white wolf she had woven into it. It was the perfect confirmation that she had indeed been the perfect character to place as the protagonist.

Ever the good hostess, Kukutux was quick to offer the both of them food, at which Toad politely dipped her head. You're too kind, but I'm also all right without, she replied after Meerkat. Her tail wagging and overall demeanour reminded Toad immediately of Whimsy, who had been equally excitable; this was of course expected behaviour from a pup.

There was something strangely familiar about the pup's scent — no one might have guessed that the two were in fact related. The young Meerkat excitedly asked the mother if she could take the old skins, at which Toad suppressed a chuckle. Moving closer to the white lady, she reached out her nose for a friendly sniff. Glad to see your youngsters have others to play with, she said softly to the mother, indeed pleased that there appeared more than one litter of pups in Moonspear.

meerkat captured her interest first. kukutux was unused to what she discarded being seen as worthwhile, but she supposed she had treated the furs well. "of course," she murmured, dipping her head toward the young wolf, who accompanied her request with the same motions. though the duck now wished to know what it was, she turned her focus upon toad amelia.

"yes," she answered, returning her companion's gesture. "i was not needed for long," she sighed. "they have outgrown the den and want to stretch their legs in each part of the mountain." settling on her haunches, kukutux indicated that the other she-wolf should join her, and meerkat when the girl had chosen what she wished. "you are new here?" the duck wondered politely toward the yearling. "and toad amelia, have you seen a fox in these days?" her gaze shone with the insinuation of spirituality found.

Kukutux quickly assented, so Meerkat moved closer to examine the discarded furs, pawing through the pile to locate two in the best condition. While she did that, she kept her good ear cocked toward the two women, listening to their exchange. The talk of other youngsters excited her, naturally, but she did not interrupt. She dragged her two favorite skins from the heap, set them aside, and looked up right when Kukutux addressed her directly again.

-"Yeah! Bronco and me came here about a week ago. We're from Firebirds,"- she rejoined, wondering if she or Toad knew of it. -"We're both training while we're here. He wants to be a guardian and hunter. I'm learning to be an ambassador. My mom says I'll be a good therapist one day too,"- Meerkat added like an afterthought, which her counselor training had become as of late. -"I'm gonna learn more about fighting too."-

She realized she was babbling a bit and laughed at herself. -"Anyway, these skins will make our new den even cozier! We've both been sore a lot,"- Meerkat finished good-naturedly before adding another, -"Thanks!"-

Toad chuckled lightly at the mother's admission. Puppies seemed to grow in the blink of an eye. One day their eyes were opening to see the light of the world. It seemed to be mere days before they were rambunctious little buggers, ready to take on the world. She had hoped to meet them when she visited, but there would be plenty of time for that.

As the Toad sat neatly beside her light-coated friend, she exhaled a long and relaxed sigh quietly. It was simply brilliant to finally be in the company of others again. Her time searching for family may have gone differently that she had expected, but it had not been a fruitless venture. She felt confident that her new pack would be good to her. A creature like Kukutux could not possibly keep poor company.

Meerkat explained that she and perhaps her brother were from a pack called Firebirds. Toad had not met any from that place — most of the animals she had met on her travels never actually revealed where they came from. In the case of Whimsy, she had been perfectly pleased to be by herself. The talkative girl was like a breath of fresh air, and the chocolate wolf nodded as she listened. She seemed to want to learn everything. Youth was powerful for such hopes.

Between the pup speaking, Toad leaned closer to Kukutux and whispered, I haven't found a vixen yet— soon though. Meerkat expressed real appreciation for the furs, but the mature female was mildly concerned by something she had said. Bronco is.. your brother? And you've both been sore? She tilted her head slightly, wondering why. She worried that it was for unfortunate reasons. It was strange for two wolves so young to leave a home pack.

firebirds.

arcturus.

kukutux suddenly became focused upon the edge of the furs that meerkat had collected, though quickly bid herself back to the surface of the conversation. "i am not a fighter," the gamma admitted with a wry grin, "but i know medicines. if you need those things, please, come to me," she invited, wishing to make the girl and this bronco of which she spoke more welcome within moonspear. "i am happy to give help."

to toad amelia she gave her attention again. "i have heard them howling at times, near the foot of the mountain." her companion, however, had refocused upon meerkat. the duck found she too was interested. springjade eyes were curious as she tried valiantly to tamp down any pondering over how she might ask after arcturus.

-"Me neither!"- Meerkat couldn't help but exclaim, happy to find a kindred spirit among the ranks. She didn't mind trying though. -"Okay!"- she added when Kukutux mentioned she was a healer. The youth had never been significantly ill or injured, though she was clumsy sometimes. And now she lived on a mountain, so it was really only a matter of time before she fell down it...

Toad's questions prompted a light laugh. -"Yes, he's my older brother through my Neema,"- Meerkat answered. By now, she was mindful enough to explain, -"His mom is like my second mom. And we're sore 'cause we're not used to living on slopes. It's hard work just walking around this place!"- She grinned to show she didn't really mind it, even as some part of her brain wondered if Kukutux might know a way to ease the aches and pains until they adjusted, as Hydra assured her they would.

The two adults seemed to be trying to have a conversation around the one with her, however, so Meerkat fell quiet and let them talk among themselves. She wondered why they were tracking foxes but didn't interrupt to ask. And when the next silence fell, she didn't inquire about painkillers either, her young mind having already skipped elsewhere in the interim.

-"We've decided to keep a den in this grove close to Silverspine. These will make it feel a lot more cozy. Would it be okay if I took one and came back for the other? I'm not sure I can carry them both at the same time,"- Meerkat asked Kukutux.

It was news to Toad that Kukutux, mother and knower of spirits, was a healer as well. This matched up nicely with the vision of the young mother she had been holding onto since meeting her in the glen. She was gracious enough to offer Meerkat any help she might require, which the young girl seemed receptive to. She explained that Bronco was her older brother, and followed by mentioning they were from a combined family of sorts. This made sense to Toad — pack life had a tendency to bond together those within it. Blood relatives or not, that wasn't the purpose of the word 'family'.

She nodded empathetically, it is hard work, she said, looking briefly at one of her paws. One of the nails had broken off just near the quick. It wasn't painful, but it didn't feel particularly great to walk on either. Moving around the mountain could be rather difficult in some parts.

As the girl quieted for a moment, Toad looked to Kukutux and nodded, her tail flopping once. I will hunt for them soon, perhaps once the rains have stopped, she said, unaware that they were in for much more rain that anyone anticipated. She was in no hurry to descend to the foot of the mountain with everything this muddy and slippery. That was a good way to get injured on a hunt.

Toad looked back to the girl, who explained why she wanted the furs and asked to come back for the other one. Part of her thought she should offer to help, but Meerkat seemed tenacious, and probably might even like handling things on her own. It was hard to recall what she herself had been like at under a year old. Clearly, someone had raised little Meerkat well.

she had not considered that meerkat might be unaccustomed to the steep paths of a mountain. she herself had lived first in courtfall, then moonspear. it was what she had known since arriving, though before she would have clamoured for flatter land also. 

intrigued by the girl's easy revelation of her home-life, she nodded at the question. "would you want help?" the duck asked softly. the slopes were challenge enough to those who had not been born to them; she would do what she might to help ease meerkat's time here. to toad amelia, kuktutux gave a rueful look. their talk of foxes must perhaps wait for another time. "if you allow me to come, i will bring the last summer's dried flowers, to put beneath them." it was how she appointed her own ulaq, believing good fragrances to be a great portion of the comfort that could be found at her hearth.

"have you seen a white fox before?" she murmured in the next, a question posed to both of the wolves in her clearing as springjade eyes glimmered with some unexplainable emotion.

Kukutux offered to help by carrying the second skin, saving Meerkat a trip. Her eyes sparkled. It hadn't even occurred to her to ask, though she appreciated the offer. She nodded her head and waved her tail, curious about th mention of flowers. She supposed she would find out what her pack mate meant when the time came.

-"Are you coming too?"- she asked Toad, the tone of her voice openly inviting. As she awaited an answer, she snatched up one of the two skins she'd chosen, then made brief eye contact with Kukutux before swiveling and preparing to lead the way to the wood grove.

Toad's hesitation to offer help was immediately thwarted by the ever-helpful mother. The brown she-wolf realized after a moment that her pause was not really about her confidence in Meerkat; she was feeling mildly selfish to have a moment with Kukutux. This was an easy thing to toss away as the white wolf also offered to bring dried flowers. What a wonderful idea to bring a fresh smell to the siblings' modest home.

Of course I'll come, she said brightly, picking up the second skin that Meerkat had chosen. It would be a pleasant little trip to the grove that the youngster had mentioned. As Toad followed the girl, Kukutux posed an interesting question, one that made Toad look at her and tilt her head as they walked.

Mm-mm, she said, shaking her head. The thought of a white fox did nothing short of delight her, and she couldn't wait to hear more: for it sounded like something straight out of a story, and a good one at that. Such creatures could not possibly exist, could they?

they would have to choose another time, she and toad amelia. for now, kukutux was both overwhelmed and thrilled to share time with the both of them. she shifted the spray of dried flowers in her jaws. "when you speak, meerkat, you" and here the white-duck paused in her steps to gesture in a weak imitation of the gestures the girl had made. "what is this, if i can ask?"

in her curiosity the woman had forgotten both her companions carried pelts, and her ears wilted in apology. "when we arrive, of course," she invited with a shy press of laughter, falling into whatever gait the yearling set. "a white fox. he comes with the snow and in the summer, he puts on a new robe. sometimes the fox never changes his parka; he stays with snow caught all in his fur. when this happens, he causes six moons of light, when the sun never goes to sleep."

Soon, the three of them fell into step with one another, Meerkat in the lead as she guided them toward the grove. En route, Kukutux asked her a question and the youth paused, head swiveling at the sound of her soft voice. She grinned around the skin in her mouth, nearly dropping it to respond. But Kukutux invited her to answer when they reached their destination, so instead Meerkat (cleverly, she thought), offered a mute, -Okay!- It was a simple enough sign; the two she-wolves would likely get the gist of it.

Kukutux and Amelia resumed their conversation behind her, which Meerkat didn't mind in the least. By the time they arrived at Silverspine and she turned toward the rock walls, her neck was getting very stiff. She decided that as soon as they laid the skins in the den, she was going to stretch out on top of them and take a nice, long nap to rest her aching muscles.

Before long, they were standing in the mouth of the cave she and Bronco shared. She thrust her head inside to see if he was there; he was not. She set the skin down on the floor and then withdrew, motioning for her two companions to step inside and take a look. Meerkat pointed a sandy toe to indicate where Kukutux could lay down the second skin.

-"This is called ptero,"- she said as they shuffled around the cave. -"It's a sign language my family uses 'cause my mom is deaf."- She paused, eyes sparkling. -"I could teach you, if you want."- The offer applied to both, though Meerkat looked at Kukutux as she spoke, thinking it was only fair to repay her somehow for the bedding.

Kukutux did not hesitate to ask the sandy girl about her gesturing. The movements the girl made when she spoke had indeed been strange to Toad, but she had intentionally ignored them. She assumed, perhaps wrongly she was realizing, that Meerkat might have some sort of nervous tick or disability that caused this. She had never seen such gesturing before, but had seen smaller ticks in other people in the past. Rather than make judgment, Toad pretended not to notice. She was learning this, too, might have been a selfish move.

Then, Kukutux began to speak of the mythical white fox she had mentioned. Though Toad did not speak with the other skin shoved in her mouth, her eyes were wide with a child-like wonder. Her silence did not reflect her mind at work, visualizing the fox with its coats, the endless summer, the endless winter. The fox was an icon of a story. A legend of a creature who danced with the sun and the moon, trading one family for the other every six months: it filled her with awe.

They arrived at the site, but Bronco was nowhere to be found. Toad followed Meerkat's lead, placing the skin tenderly on the cave floor. She nudged it such that it unfurled and would have a chance to absorb the scent of the siblings. The cave was a larger hideout than she had expected; she looked around, looking pleased and impressed.

Ptero. This made much more sense, and immediately Toad felt intrigued. That the family had come together to learn and teach a new way to speak was truly wonderful. That's so cool, she said. You use it even though we can hear. She liked this, though she said the statement quite bluntly. Toad wanted to learn this gesturing language, but waited for the graceful mother before saying more.

kukutux followed close behind, intrigued to discover what meerkat had to say regarding the gestures. the yearling lay down a skin, followed by toad amelia. 

kukutux surveyed the inner strength of the cave with a silent approval. it was a good choice for an ulaq. she set about sprinkling the leaves here and there, pleased as the crush of them rose sweetly in the wet air.

so appointed, the gamma grinned at meerkat's explanation. "i enjoy that you have found a new way to speak and honor your mother." was she also the same to bronco? kukutux had many questions, but few of them seemed appropriate for their first meeting.

"this is a good trade for the skins," and she nodded solemnly toward toad amelia as well. "how do you make sign for 'trade?"

Toad pointed out that Meerkat used the language even when it was totally unnecessary. She let out a light laugh. -"Yeah, it's a habit. I don't even think about it most of the time. I've been signing since before I could really talk, so it just comes naturally to me, you know?"- Her eyes flicked to Kukutux and she dipped her head, letting out another huff. Their input pleased her.

Raising her gaze, Meerkat pointed out the faint sparkling on the cave walls when she suddenly remembered it. -"Bronco called it mica, I think? Isn't it neat?"- Her eyes tracked the paler woman's movements as she sprinkled flowers around on the floor. It made the space feel more pleasant, even feminine, and Meerkat hoped Bronco wouldn't mind it.

Taking a seat on the smaller of the two furs, Meerkat said, -"Trade,"- and repeated the movements twice more, slowing them down a bit for easier comprehension. -"There's not a sign for every single word, a lot of it's—oh, what'd mom call it—consensual? Is that a word?"- She paused, eyes drifting inquisitively between the two adults, then continued, -"And when it comes to names, we have to either spell them out or create a unique name sign."-

Feeling weary, she slid forward onto her stomach, which made signing a bit harder, though she was used to it. Turning her snout toward Kukutux, she signed out, -"C-U-C-K-O-O-T-U-X."- She then turned to Toad. -"T-O-A-D or 'toad.' Usually if someone is named after an animal or object, like you and me, we come up with a different one for their name sign,"- she shared on a yawn.

It was certainly a wonderful way to honour her mother, as Kukutux put it. Toad was fascinated by the fact that it now came completely naturally and the girl did it automatically while she spoke. Toad found that she was now fascinated by every movement that Meerkat made when she was saying anything, trying to match the words with the gestures. Being entirely unused to this, she didn't find the language at all intuitive.

When Meerkat pointed out the sparkling of the cave walls, Toad was once again amazed. She let out a vague ooh and wandered away from the girl and the mother, leaving their teaching session to stare at this wonderful sparkle. The lover of lore couldn't help but recall Whimsy's crystal cavern as she moved her head about to watch the way the light changed on the stone.

She circled back while Meerkat was spelling Kukutux's name, sitting beside the white she-wolf, watching the movements. When the sandy girl got to her, and not only spelled her name but motioned the move for toad, Toad wiggled in her seat. Uh, like this? She made a movement that looked like what Meerkat had done for "toad," but her paws flopped oddly when she tried, and she signed -turd-.

kukutux sat to listen attentively, gesturing along as she could. her own imitation came out -toad-, which would have amused her greatly had she known what was conveyed. while this came naturally to meerkat, the duck knew it would require more teachings and study than could be given here today.

aware as always, and perhaps with mother-senses more honed now that she had a pair of wolfcubs herself, kukutux smiled warmly at the yawning yearling. "i thank you, meerkat," she said softly. "it is good to have a name-move for a title." she too lifted her eyes to the glittering bits of stone pressed into the stone walls; it was a fitting place for the new duo of young wolves, and the snowduck found herself with hope they might remain in moonspear a great while.

"i must find saviguk and sialuk," she murmured apologetically, "but i have enjoyed spending these times with you both." a meal to be found for her brood, then off to be bathed and taught another lesson, sialuk especially. "will you allow me to return to your hearth and learn more?"

When Toad bungled the sign for "toad," Meerkat chuckled under her breath. She burst into an actual fit of laughter when Kukutux imitated too; such language for a beautiful, mild-mannered lady! It was, of course, temping to let them going on calling Toad a turd instead, though Meerkat was too goodhearted in the end.

-"No,"- she corrected with another good-natured snort, -"you're not a turd, you're a toad."- She made the signs for those two words slowly, still letting out puffs of laughter. -"I mean, I don't think you're a turd. I think you're both pretty great. Of course!"- she added in reply to the pale women's inquiry. -"You're welcome to come by anytime. And I'd be happy to teach you all the ptero you want!"

Thank you for a great thread!

Meerkat's laughter made her grin and ask, What? Her voice was innocent. The sandy girl explained, signing the correct version of the word and revealing the mistake. Toad couldn't help but giggle. Oooh, she nodded, laughing lightly through Meerkat's approval stamp of them both.

As Kukutux made her bid to leave, the ptero master was quick to let them come anytime to learn more. As an older woman, Toad wondered how slowly she would learn a new language. She definitely hadn't shown immediate promise.

I'll get out of your fur, but yes thanks for teaching us! See you both soon, said the chocolate woman, fondly wagging her tail and dipping off and away as Kukutux attended to her motherly errands. Toad smiled to herself. There was great comfort in knowing her new packmates accepted her in all of her bumbling glory.