Moonspear waatxakuq ✾

the duck stood amid the wet meadow, blinking through the drops for where @Saviguk and @Sialuk played. it had rained and rained and rained, and she was quite chilled as she stood there, shifting from foot to foot. 

when they came to her, beckoned by their mother's alabaster coat, the duck led them gratefully into the greenwood. here she shook out her summer coat, too thin for the downpour, and cleared her throat. "today you will meet @Osiris," she told the two. "he is," and here she paused again, for she could not remember. "he is uyuguga to your ada."

"family," she repeated of the sentiment, though more simply, as she put her senses toward locating where the eagle-loved boy might be.

Sialuk came quickly to her mother when she was called. Her ears pricked forward, and she listened as her mother explained what they were doing today. The interspersed words of her mother’s language with the language everybody else spoke was normal to Sia, but she did notice it. Nobody else spoke the special words that her mother did. Not even her father used them as much. They had a different feel to them compared to the more-used words.

They were to meet new family today, related somehow to their father. His name was Osiris. Sialuk hopes he was nothing like Hydra’s daughter. But even if he was, the raindrop was confident she could defend herself just as she had done with Mira.

A particularly torrential downpour had caused Osiris to seek cover within the wood, delaying his forenoon patrol for the time being. Once sheltered, and with very little to do, he had begun to meander. It had been some time since he had been to this neck of the territory, and he figured that it would be beneficial for him to sniff around and explore. Osiris stifled an unexpected yawn; rushing through the rain had drained him more than he had initially sensed. 

Eventually, his fatigue got the better of him. Coming across a particularly cozy looking hollow, Osiris gave into temptation, figuring that the downtime would be an opportune time to rest. Curling up and heaving a satisfied sigh, Osiris drifted off to sleep. 

Hours later, as Kukutux and her ducklings searched for him, his nap continued.

feel free to hop in anytime u want, vami <3 edit: & post 500 for u all!

osiris was not easy to find. kukutux made a game of it all the same, directing her children along his trail so that they would know his scent. it flattened into a loamy place of trees with their legs bare; she spied him curled among one such, and grinned toward saviguk and sialuk in turn. 

"sagal axtagalikux umlatida," the eiderdown girl laughed. osiris was one of her favored wolves at moonspear; kuktuux wished him to meet the little ones who would love him also.

Eb, I think I'm using the correct language for this! It is Atkan Aleut, yes?

When they found their cousin, he was sleeping. Sialuk watched curiously for a moment. His body rose and fell with each breath, just as she had seen with her other family members. When her mother told her to wake him up, Sialuk stared wide-eyed at anaa. Waking somebody up while they were sleeping seemed like a bad idea, especially when she did not know him well. The raindrop was loathe to incite unsettling feelings in the much larger wolf, and she shifted uneasily on her feet.

She would let Saviguk take the lead on this one unless her mother decided they should do something else instead.

yes :D

neither sialuk nor saviguk seemed keen to wake the slumbering osiris. kukutux wished more familiarity between them, but decided against it this day. if he did not rise at the gentle step of her paws, the pale woman would gesture her children away, beyond the bare-root trees and their sleeping inhabitant.

Osiris did not stir, even as they stood there. He looked formidable as he lay there, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Sialuk did not know why this was. She had seen her parents sleep plenty of times, and they had never given her this feeling of unease. Perhaps it was merely because he was a stranger to her, and she had come so accustomed to being around immediate family. She looked questioningly at her mother, wondering if she would wake him.

"osiris," kukutux murmured softly, stepping forward to feather her words in the air near him. he seemed deeply asleep, however, and she looked first to sialuk, then to saviguk. "perhaps another day." 

with that she began to lead her brood away, though kept one pale aud swept backward in case the boy stirred.

"Ajakuluk?" Osiris called; Kukutux's whisper had managed to coax him into consciousness. He lifted his head as he came-to, his bleary eyes watching as his ajakuluk and asagax walked away. "Wait—I'm awake," Osiris appended with a yawn, and then picked himself up off of the floor. Sialuk and Saviguk's much-smaller bodies quickly caught his attention, and offered them a smile; although it took him a moment to realize, he now understood that they had come to meet him. Osiris was thankful that he had managed to wake up.

Anaa leaned in to try and wake Osiris, but he did not rouse from his slumber. Only a little bit disappointed, Sialuk followed behind her mother, glancing back only when she heard an unfamiliar voice. She turned around to look at him, thinking it strange how different he looked awake versus asleep. Now that he stood, he towered over her, and Sialuk felt quite small. His eyes, a pleasant shade of deep green, were enjoyable to look at. He was not mean as Mira had been.

The raindrop glanced at braataa briefly, then her mother. What now?

osiris spoke, and kukutux turned quickly in pleased surprise to see the boy groggy with her language upon his lips. "soraluaq," the duckwife murmured, waving her tail affably toward the boy now approaching, surely groggy and tousled from his good nap. "this is sialuk and saviguk," she introduced, motioning to each child in turn. 

"he is nuaq to you, and osiris, you are the same to them," kukutux prompted, thinking of the name for the closest kinship tie she could connect between her own and the son of her sister-in-law.

"Hello, Sialuk and Saviguk," Osiris greeted with a wag of his tail, looking at each child individually as they were introduced. Kukutuq then went on to explain their relationship to her children. "Nuqq means cousin, right?" he asked. Although the word was unfamiliar, he had guessed it's meaning from the context clues that she had provided.

Sialuk did her best to be presentable and polite. Anaa introduced the both of them, which Sialuk was thankful for. She had not yet found her voice, and her mother was always willing to do the talking for her. So far, Osiris was a million times more enjoyable to be around than her other cousin. Perhaps it was because he was older. Or maybe all the girls her age were mean and spiteful. Sialuk still did not know why Mira had attacked her, but she had not had a good reason to.

"it does, yes," kukutux said softly, with a wave of her snowbound plume. "they only speak small words for now, but it is good that they see your face, osiris."

"i was taking them to the pool of hot water," his aunt said, not deft with her mention of the starglow wellspring. "would you like to come with us?"

So late, sorry! <3

Saviguk was brimming with excitement when he learned that he would get to meet Osiris, a wolf that was uyuguga. Part of the family! There were still so many faces he had to get to know, to commit to memory. He was eager to meet an adult today, and one that Kukutux thought fondly of, going by the hint of her voice.

When they had found the male, he was sound asleep in the hollow of the tree. Savi was tempted to rouse him, but held back in that he wanted to make a nice first impression with good manners. He peered closely, seafoam eyes lighting up when the agouti male a last awoke. He seemed...friendly. His own dark tail began to slowly slice through the air behind him. Deciding to be the bold one, he stepped forward, reaching his muzzle out for an investigatory sniff. "Osri..." He stumbled over the name in his first attempt, but smiled slightly, hopeful in finding a friend.

Osiris nodded in understanding, pleased to meet his nuaq. "I'm glad that I get to meet you both," he added with warmth as his tail slowly wagged behind him. Saviguk appeared to be the more daring child, as he approached and began to investigate.  Osiris smiled and leaned over to gently sniff at the child's head; he smelled of milk, and it reminded him of his younger siblings. 

"That's it—Osiris," he encouraged, slowly enunciating every syllable. Osiris lifted his head then and smiled at his relative. "You'll get it," he promised. 

Kukutux's invitation was well-received by Osiris. "Yes, I'd love to," he replied.

no worries! glad u joined <3

sialuk did not attempt a sound, but her brother stepped into such a role, trying the beginning sound to osiris' name. pride flushed through kukutux for the ice crystal; she was grateful that soraluaq would be joining them. he was a thoughtful and detailed boy; he would add much to their venture.

and so the duck continued along the path beside the son of her sister, glancing to ensure that her children followed closely. "i think they will like the ... white breath at the hot water," she said of the steam-plumes, jadegreen eyes flicking with the silent question for any translation osiris might give his aunt.

Oop, I think I got skipped. ;P

Her mother mentioned a pool of hot water, and Sialuk was intrigued. Wherever they went, the raindrop was sure it would be an adventure, one which she was fully prepared to enjoy. Having her cousin Osiris along was an added bonus and would contribute some extra flair to their journey. To Saviguk, she smiled, nipping at his shoulder as she followed Kukumama and their cousin in silence.

The growing ice crystal swiftly picked up on his cousin's encouragement. He was even quicker to try again. "O-siirriss..." His tongue felt all twisted in his mouth, the syllables rolling off it awkwardly. He smiled, blinking up at the man, suddenly noticing the color of his eyes. Savi's mouth fell open in a small O shape. "Mum! His eyes like yours!" He pointed out excitedly, bounding along while they made the trip to the hot springs.

His mother mentioned hot water. After making a soft bite at Sialuk's ear, his thoughtful train of thought took over again. He had only ever experienced crisp, cool water before. And that was only when he was allowed by the stream, to quench his thirst. The concept of water on the other end of the spectrum was new to him, leaving him to toy with the idea of how it might be different.

Saviguk was quick to catch on, and Osiris nodded approvingly; his cousin's tenacity would allow him to go far. "Good," he praised, smiling at the child. 

As Kukutux spoke, Osiris became confused. Silently, he retraced her words, seeking their meaning, until— "Oh! "Do you mean steam?"

ope srry <3

"he does," kukutux agreed with her small son, though hers were more akin to shards of greenstone than the beauty of osiris' spear-blessed stare.  so she felt, and somehow lowly in the presence of the chieftains' son.

"steeem," the duck considered, mouthing the word a second silent time to herself. she found it had the same hiss as a spurt of pale hot smoke from the surface of the water. enjoyable, then, and when the little party had come to the hot springs, she clucked her tongue in surprise and interest. "is it too hot to be touched?" she asked in a whisper of her sister's son, smiling at one or both of the children if they should turn to look at her then.

Saviguk made a comment about their mother's eyes and Osiris's matching ones, and Sialuk blinked, looking between the two sets and noting the same thing. She grinned, then continued to follow along, her paws falling lightly on the ground alongside her mother. When they arrived at the steam water, Sialuk bent down to sniff it, feeling the warmth rise up to greet her small black nose.

It smelled sweet, in a way, not quite like the water that ran through the cool streams on the mountain. Gingerly, Sialuk placed a three-toed paw in the water, testing the temperature for herself. It was a stark contrast to the cold ground she'd just been standing on, and she withdrew her paw quickly, licking it dry.

Saviguk bounced happily on his paws, that little black tail a blur of delight. He felt so proud already! It made him feel so good to see his mother, sister and cousin smile like that. Osiris mentioned a word that was new to him, and apparently to his mom too, at least in common tongue. He tipped his head quizzically. 

When they arrived at the hot springs, coming before a pool of the bubbling water where wispy tendrils arose, he was transfixed. This water emanated a certain heat and carried a peculiar smell. Not unpleasant, but not crisp and fresh. For once, he allowed Sialuk to be the bolder of the two, watching as she dipped her malformed paw in. Although he did let his nose hover inches above the surface, resulting in a coating of wet little beads. "Why is it like this? What makes it so warm?" He asked, ears perked cutely while he sought the eyes of the adults with an equally adorable tip of his head.

Kukutuq had done well in pronouncing the unfamiliar word, and Osiris nodded encouragingly in reply. She had done much better than he had when he had tested her native-tongue. 

They hadn't been far from the hot springs, and it did not take them long to arrive. Osiris remembered the way easily, as the springs' path was well-worn by the wolves of Moonspear. He kept his distance from the family, watching as they examined the natural spectacle of the landmark—it was as welcoming and alluring as he remembered. 

"At first, it may feel too hot," he advised, pulling a step closer to Kukutuq. "But once you dip a paw in—" he stopped suddenly and turned, noticing Sialuk's jerk-reaction to the heat. "Are you okay?" he asked, his ear lifting full-mast as he watched her carefully. She didn't cry—so, for now, he saw no need to rush to her side.

her gaze darted toward sialuk as well, but after assuring herself the raindrop had not been harmed, she crouched down beside saviguk. "maybe a tiritchik lives in the water," she surmised, steadying her own paw upon the surface. warmth then, perhaps too much, but it did not become the bite of a truly dangerous heat.

kukutux thought of the skins she lay outside the ulaq. was it possible to soften skins in such a place as well? she put the thought aside, turned back to osiris. "what do you think makes the fire underneath?"