Stavanger Bay iniulik

Where the Sentinels meet the Bay edge.

Kigipigak moved north from the mountainhome, knowing he could not cross through the glen tribe's lands without disrupting the wolf law surrounding them, and considered heading due-north to the twisted spine of mountain mirroring Kukutux' home before moving towards Neverwinter.

The thought of crossing near Simmik and seeing her again was tempting, but she would have questions and Kigipigak did not have a response for her yet.

In the end he followed the corridor of rolling hills and sparsely decorated trees, lured by the wintertide netted in the weald. He spent the night there, then the afternoon hiking until the trees dried and the earth became soft particulate sand.

The edge of the bay was heavily marked by wolf scent but it was incomplete; Kigipigak could find the dwindling scent of a healthy male alongside a female (@Umbra) every so often, not enough to dissuade his travel but enough to inform him to be cautious.

Umbra was in a rather foul mood on this particular day. Firstly, the pack was not growing as she so pleased.. She was impatient. Secondly, could not find Sunhawk. Days have passed and yet nothing seem to gather to her whims and desires, only festering to the kraken as she thought of the failures. To her homeland banishment, to the cliff, to the leg and even now..

And she could not find Wintersbane.

Upon her patrol of thought and anger, she came across a stranger. With a glare, "Who are you?" the Sealord asked, "You are close to Ironclan territory."

It was good Kigipigak kept his wits about him. A woman drew close to his path, her body resembling a ragged inkblot which exuded hostility; his steps faltered and he stopped short, the heavy mantle of fur across his back beginning to prickle. Her scent was the strongest among all that he'd discovered along the sandy hills.

Kigipigak did not know the name of this place until she bequeathed it to him; he automatically translated it, giving her a nickname in his head that linked the two: Saviktaggak.

To her question he merely lilt, Kigipigak. I am traveling, ah, he thought of the spiel that came to his lips, ready to fly, but bit it back. In place of that he explained, the sea called to me. I miss it from my old home.

Somehow though, Kigipigak did not think he could appeal to this woman; she was beyond agitated by his presence by the looks of things.

He gave a similar excuse to another did long ago, a man named Revui who claimed a cliff. 'But a visit,' is what they all say, "there is other bays to do so- this place is off limits to any not pledged to us." She cared little to the holiday of visiting nostalgia, and said so with a continuous glaring.

The woman denounced his presence with a barbed tone to which he flicked an ear. Kigipigak did not want to leave yet; he wanted to drink in the many scents that littered the beach and gather small trinkets to use as gifts, perhaps for Kukutux or for Chanel when he came upon them again. This was not meant to be, and he knew not to press his luck.

Perhaps he could appease this woman in another way, he thought. I will leave. He says. I do not mean to interfere as you build your tribe, issumatar. Perhaps I can be of use? What kind of place do you hope to build?

Kigipigak may as well try and learn something from this woman, either of herself or of her people, to bring with him. Then again she was not the most welcoming presence...

"A clan of ironwill, built by the sea." She relaxed just a bit, for the man did not have any other intentions and even said he would leave; nor' did she mind spreading word about them as well. So Umbra stated, what Wintersbane seemingly wanted. A group that was bound to the waves, and molded by their harshness, and given but an ironwill.

Majority within the group, seemed to already have that within them. She wondered if this man, also had that.

So far as he could tell, she had a name for her tribe and that was all. Not even that, he thought; it took a moment to understand she was speaking about the character of her subordinates and not much else. What a curious way to answer his question.

There are many tribes in the north like that. Are you from the northland? Up where the ice covers the world and the sun hides for many moons at a time? She could have been. Her coat was the only outlier—not that Tartok was composed of only shards of ice, come to think of it. His own mother bore a mixed coat, although it was touched by cold, not shadow.

Are you a tribe of warriors then? Kigipigak asked, studying the dark woman's heft.

"I was not a tribe, but was close to a similar area like that." Umbra didn't directly live in those icy waters, but she remembered they were quite close. It was like a test of strength to swim in those seas, and the harshness built to the seafangs that were from her old pack. She knew them not as a tribe, and wouldn't even utter their name anymore after the feeling of betrayal, but they were something of warriors.

"Majority of us are." She nodded to confirm that most were warriors, and like herself as well. She did not carry as many scars of fight as Wintersbane did or even others, but Umbra valued her own strength.

"Is there a reason to ask this?" Though it brought a bit suspicion from her, on why this man was curious.. It wasn't information that would cause a change if she were to spread, rather Umbra thought it would give more value if some knew of their warriors. Nontheless, she wondered why the man wanted the info.

Kigipigak's appreciation for this woman grew tremendously when she admitted that yes, she was a warrior, and the people who followed her were also; that made them closer to kin than she knew. There came some trepidation after, a little sprinkle of suspicion, which earned an innocent little look from Kigipigak.

No reason. It is good to know the northland's traditions are kept, even this far south. He comments in response. After a pause, he realizes he's been staring out at the water while his mind fills with thoughts of warriors of his childhood — aunts and uncles, elders, creatures from stories passed down to him. Kigipigak wonders if such stories persist here in this place of differences, but he knows he's wearing his welcome thin.

He turns slightly and begins to make his retreat, bowing his head to the dark woman as he strides, not willing to fully turn his back to her. I promise that next time I seek the ocean I will seek it away from your tribe. It was good to meet you, iron woman.

"Very well." She did not care much to the visitor, and simply took note of his scent and words that he would stay away. He didn't have any intention of joining them, so the more thought was simply tossed away. The only thing was Umbra found him odd with the questions, and how he looked into the sea with some sort of desire, but she could not read emotions and could not say for certain.

She watched him leave before returning to the inner sanctions of the bay.