Ouroboros Spine darkening scorn

He had watched the animals as Lote did. Seeking understanding of the woman and what she had laid out to him of her home, her people. It was not so different from the way Raimo prowled on any other day; he found a scent, he followed the trail of clues left behind, he found his targets and observed.

In this case it was a pine marten; its movements jerked it through the undergrowth and from time to time it would stop to roll in the soil, bite at discarded pieces of bark, or gnaw fresh spring shoots until they were stubs.

Raimo wanted to kill it — its meat would be tough and its fur poor for keeping, but food was food, and he still vied for the favor of his betters. Instead the man continued his observation with a growing impatience as the creature dove yet again across the forest floor, seemingly without direction.

He'd received instructions from Kukutux, and while he had not yet come to decide how he wanted to go about elevating his status, one thing seemed clear. Raimo was considered to be first hunter, a position which Adrastus envied. He didn't feel as though Kukutux might look upon him so friendly if he simply challenged the dark hunter to a fight for rank, though she had implied that that was one way they could sort out their hierarchy. It seemed somewhat barbaric to the northern man, who preferred not to indulge in shows of strength as a means to prove one's worth. 

The other options were much more refined- so he had built himself a den, and had begun to search for the ideal furs to use to line it. His hopes were to make his den-site to be the envy of all, and that that might help him win the favour of the women so that he might be chosen for marriage. He also sought to bring fine kills to the leaders, as a way of showing his worth. And if that meant competing with Raimo for resources, then he would do it. 

The pine marten bounded through the forest, and rather than waiting to observe its movements, the stealthy male padded forwards with a hasty step, before surging forward, dashing after it in an open chase, swerving this way and that, hot on its heels as it maneuvered through the trees and toward the lake.

The marten could not go far due to its short stature. The chaos of its trajectory was enough to entertain Raimo for a time, and he tracked it with relative ease. If he ever should falter in his observation he merely needed to wait, as the jerking movements would alert him to the creature.

That all ended when a pale shape burst on to the scene. It was not Kukutux; she was still lame from her injury. It as not Sialuk; the size of the shape did not match. Raimo did not know of many other pale-coated wolves and knew immediately who he was watching.

Adrastus moved with more ferocity than finesse. He bludgeoned the earth as he tore after the pine marten. He was not an effort to observe, and Raimo would argue it was a poor attempt to hunt; such force was necessary for larger creatures but not such small, sinuous things. He wondered if the target would slip through Adrastus' grasp.

Instead of lending his aid, he chose to watch. It was a good test of the other man's prowess when it came to the hunt. Raimo would continue his prowling with his sights set on the wolf rather than the marten.

Snow was sent spraying behind Adrastus as he barreled after the dark creature, its sable and ochre fur making it an obvious target. And while Adrastus was built for power, for short bursts of speed like this, he could certainly put on the heat when he needed to. The marten had done him a favour by bounding around without being attentive of its surroundings, which had allowed him to sneak just close enough that he could expend his energy in a sprint. While Adrastus was a heavy wolf, he kept his center of balance low to the ground- and his thick legs were strong- capable of thrusting him in a different direction without losing any nimbleness of foot. 

When the marten lunged to his left, he changed leads and swept a paw forward, smacking it on the flank and sending it cartwheeling over and over into the snow, where it was set upon within an instant. Adrastus was upon it swiftly, and had half-buried the creature into the snow with his impact, muffling its final yowls. He pulled back, and shook his head, so he could get some of the snow off his face. He was panting- but he didn't so much mind. Perhaps it was a bit much effort for something that wouldn't make much of a meal, but...The coat on it was quite lovely. 

He'd cast a glance around as though to see if there was anything else he could score in the meantime- though he was still catching up on his breath from that hunt- when he noticed Raimo. Like a melanistic panther, the athletic hunter was watching him and he couldn't help but wonder if he'd been tracking the marten before Adrastus had made the split second decision to give chase. His mouth lolling open, he licked his lips and gave the male a nod, to acknowledge his presence.

Raimo prowled closer. He paused among the pine, watching as Adrastus made his swift attack, swatting at the marten and then driving it against the earth. As the other man sat panting and shaking the snow from his face Raimo approached; they shared a glance a moment later, an invitation silently offered by way of a nod.

The marten had been in good condition while alive. Raimo had not seen anything amiss about the way it moved besides the erratic manner of its path; it was not injured prior to the hunt and there were no obvious malformations upon it. Watching it had been a strange experience. He had wanted to give chase and made himself contain the impulse — whle Adrastus had not.

A good catch, he commends of the pale man, albeit his voice is somewhat monotonous. It will not afford much of a meal, and I wonder if you have damaged what little fur it has — but a good job nonetheless. Small jabs, testing the waters.

If there was any tone behind Raimo's voice, Adrastus couldn't hear it. The compliment he received without thinking that he might have been any less than impressed, though Adrastus did not need to have validation from Raimo when he knew he was a capable enough hunter. A wolf did not get to be as solidly built as Adrastus without also being very capable about feeding himself, and using his energy well. He already knew that a marten was less than an ideal meal- especially for one with an apatite the size of his, so he simply smiled good-naturedly at that comment. Pine marten wasn't even terribly pleasant to eat- but the real treasure was what Raimo pointed out next. 

Having pushed the marten into the snow so that it couldn't struggle, Adrastus had managed to get a grip on its throat without it being able to thrash and cause damage to its furs. He gestured. "You are right. But look-" He said, pulling the marten out of the hole in the ground. While it had puncture wounds at its throat, the rest of its sleek pelt was healthy and shiny. "I make the snow a friend of mine. For small prey such as this, it is easier to make a clean kill while using the snow to hold it in place." He explained. He thought Raimo might benefit from the tutelage, if he thought that Adrastus' methods had harmed the creature's pelt. "I was asked to fetch pelts for Kukutux; so I will be bringing this to her."

The man explained himself. There were considerations that Raimo himself had made, even the same strategy of using the snow; he had felled a fox with the effort, while Adrastus a meagre marten.

Hearing that Adrastus would be bringing the furs to Kukutux for her skills was not surprising, although it caused an ache in Raimo's chest he attributed to the hurt he had experienced earlier. To think that she was already moving on to replace him — and choosing Adrastus for the task! Raimo had been working hard for many days to earn the woman's favor and he was not about to share the spotlight.

Soon she will be healed, she will be able to hunt for herself. Raimo advised. But it is good to entertain her. Surely living in that sleeping place of her's is dull, day to day. Small observations. Raimo would not enjoy his time spent stagnant in one place, and he did empathize with Kukutux' position while he contended with the wound she had left him with.

I am thinking of building a hunting party. As the lead hunter, yes, he would make sure that was known, it is my duty to organize capable bodies. You would make a fine chaser.

Raimo seemed to be ruffled- and it left a foul taste in his mouth. He thought back to the day when he'd first met Raimo, and something he had said then had made him feel distinctly off as well. Raimo was a hunter indeed- and it became fairly clear now, that he stalked Kukutux. She had said that he had been bringing her food, but this was something Adrastus had done as well. He knew in his own heart that he did such a thing as a means of endearing himself, true, but also as a means of showing respect. He'd be damned if he didn't feel that Raimo was trying to flex his status despite having done very little, in Adrastus' eyes, to have earned it. 

"Her days are less dull when I visit." He replied quietly. He didn't like how Raimo tried to insinuate that bringing Kukutux gifts would be useless once she could hunt again. She had made it abundantly clear to him that he should come to her with a bride-price, and that he should begin proving to her that he was capable of earning his status within the pack. He also wondered if Kukutux had explained to Raimo that the men were primarily expected to be the hunters. So he sought to remind him, as he'd been informed. "And she expects the men to be hunters. This is our task. Within her circle she is Wisewoman." He said; it felt good to be correcting Raimo's way of thinking. Of course, he would never tell Kukutux not to hunt if she wanted to- but she'd made it fairly clear that that was often assumed to be the role of the men in the pack. 

And now was his chance, he thought, to establish something else Kukutux had told him. "The hunters choose the first hunter." He said. He'd picked up on the fact that Raimo had not used the terminology that Kukutux preferred. "It is by default, and longevity that you were such. But I do not choose you as first hunter." He said.

Something had changed between Raimo and Adrastus; or perhaps it was always a difference that persisted due to their genders, their rival roles within the pack. The way that Adrastus spoke was soft but sharp. He thought to undermine Raimo's lengthy efforts to this point and the shadow would not take kindly to being displaced.

Adrastus spoke of the hunter's party as if he knew things that Raimo did not, when Raimo knew much more, had been offered options that were exclusive to himself (or so he thought). The more that Adrastus tried to be a teacher in this moment the less Raimo cared for him — and then there came a challenge. A denial of Raimo's rightful place.

Was this what Kukutux desired? To make the men of her village fight for her attentions while feigning disinterest? It was a childish ploy and a disingenuous shift of her personality; it did not suit Raimo's story at all.

Then I do not choose you for my hunter's party, Raimo countered smoothly. He had hoped they could come to an arrangement. Moonglow would benefit from them working together but like with Zane, if Adrastus was not willing, he would not be welcome.

She is the wise-woman, and she has granted me the title of sivullik. I am the first among the men, whether you agree or you do not. It is I she asked first to be the father of Moonglow's future, a point he had held tight to himself until now, a secret, but now weaponized. Whether you respect me or not in this, you must respect Kukutux and her judgement.

Raimo finished saying this curtly, his hackles prickling slightly as he observed the pale man. He watched for movement, readying himself to physically defend himself and his position if this transitioned beyond talk.

A solemn nod was given to the man, accepting the fact that Raimo did not wish for him to become a part of his hunting clan. With confidence, he felt that the sour male, who seemingly clung to entitlement with every fibre of his being, would struggle to attract many hunters to follow him. All Adrastus had needed to do was to state that he did not intend to follow Raimo, so that he knew his position was not as solid as he believed it to be. It was better, he thought, than challenging him to a battle of strength. The rejection offended Adrastus very little. He had stated his beliefs, and that was the first instruction he had been given. If the first hunter was declared unfit by the others, then he could not cling to his title. 

He tried to assert his claim, but it only furthered the point Adrastus had made earlier. He wanted to reply immediately to him and inform him that naturally he'd been chosen as the first hunter when he'd been the only one- but when he mentioned that Kukutux had chosen him to father her children, his cheeks flushed hot. He remembered how Raimo had openly claimed that he longed for the hearts of the Moon and Star, and now he claimed Kukutux had asked him to be the father of her children? He hadn't expected himself to be jealous. And his hackles had lifted, in spite of himself. But he did his best to remain calm, and picked up the marten, pulling it toward himself. "I believe you tell lies, but I will believe it if I hear it from Kukutux." He said simply, with a sigh. Raimo was likely the sort of wolf who was beyond help. "I do not fault Kukutux for making you first hunter...When you were the only hunter in the pack. But you are not the only hunter, now, and first hunter is chosen amongst the hunters." He reiterated. He felt he would have to keep repeating himself if he kept talking to Raimo, so he nodded his head. "Regardless. I will be taking this to her. And will leave you with your hunting party. Good day," He said, picking up the marten and turning so that he could lope away from the male whose reputation had been fouled in all of a few moments.

More was said. Hot air escaping to the chasm between them. Raimo listened only because he could not tear off his own ears; when the man spoke of his lies Raimo chuffed, unable to hold back the urge to laugh. It was a deep sound that he swiftly ended. Adrastus could believe what he wanted but above all else, Raimo was no liar.

There was no use in speaking now. Adrastus would go to Kukutux, he would hear the truth from the mouth of the wise-woman.

Away he would go with the marten hanging from his pale face, while Raimo stared after him; he willed his golden eye to burn through the back of his head and end him there. A fantastical death for a lackluster man.

Turning away finally, Raimo stalked off to do as he had initially intended: seek out his fellow hunters and form himself a capable group.