Duskfire Glacier and maybe i froze when

set for 03/05/2021

Dusk had found her stretched out on the stone ledge that led into the grotto of Greyfall Caverns, soaking up the last waning beams of Siqiniq and what meager warmth he could provide so early in the season, so late in the day. Soon, the time would come when darkness enroached from the corners of the world and took the day's distraction from the dove. Soon, she would retire and bear through another night of fitful, frightening dreams as she had for over a turn of the seasons. But for now, she worked one of the pelts she had secured for her sleeping place in the Caverns. 

The meat from the hares and marten had been sectioned and stored, but only after she had stripped their pelts. They were small but perhaps she could compile many of them overtime to line her den with. The cur had one of the hare's pallid furs clutched in her paws, her head bent over her work as she chewed the underside of stiff skin to make the hide more malleable, softer.

While the young jackal had been a homebody for the majority of her childhood, she found herself becoming more curious of the world outside the pack's boundaries, and had begun to explore, bit by bit, the lands past the tangle and the rivers that lay just beyond Sapphique's claim. She'd made her way to the Redtail Rise when she spotted the pearlescent glow of the glacier in the distance- a bed of white nestled in a small mountain range that was further than she had ever travelled alone before. While Spring was rapidly creeping its way back to the Cliffs she called home, bringing little snowdrops to emerge from their winter slumber, it appeared as though the saddle of white snow in the mountains was more of a permanent fixture. Curious about exploring it, she continued on, heading toward where the mountains rose in the distance. 

There was a freshness to the air about the glacier that smelled clean and wet, not salty like the ocean from which she had come. The snow here was likely as pure as snow could possibly be- however many years it had persisted, fighting against the heat of the summer, to remain just as it was year-round. But what she hadn't expected to find were the trails of several wolves in the area- an indication, perhaps that there were wolves who called the glacier home. 

Chacal was not the sort to trespass; but she knew nothing thus far about this group of wolves who settled in the mountains, and she thought it might be a bit of a welcome challenge, for her, to see what was happening. Were they travellers- or were they beginning to call the glacier home? There was little to be mistaken about the markings she interpreted as being border markings. So, hoping someone in the area might be willing to greet her and tell her about the group settling here, she tilted her head back and called out in a singsong voice, inviting any peaceful dwellers to come and greet her, as a friendly ambassador from Sapphique.

It was curious to hear a summons so late in the evening, the Qimmiat's ears rising as her freckled crown turned in the direction of the echoing howl. It took but a moment to gather her tufted legs of churned milk beneath her, pushing the pelt she worked aside for a moment before gathering the white fur she was curing in her maws as gingerly as if it were the winterwhite form of one of her newborn nieces or nephews she tended so carefully. A pang stabbed her heart at the thought, thinking of those she had cared for as her own cubs, before she shoved all reminiscings of Salik's Kallalit from her mind. She was a dead woman to them after all. Her grief meant nothing to the ones she had called family, to those who would curse her as nothing more than a malicious spirit if they could see her now. 

By the time she had reached the borders that @Wintersbane (reference) had tasked her with guarding and the dark youth who lingered upon them, she had concealed the memories from view back into that shadowed corner where they were typically confined. She met the girl of gilded accents -- who was perhaps just shy of counting her first winter -- with a soft, curious noise that was muffled by the hare's pelt. Imaq was quick to set the fur down, offering a smile that was warmer than any tundrian's had a right to be though a bit wan. 

"Greetings upon you," the tribal woman dippped her head in typical fashion, the move somewhat overtly formal and brewed in a depth of respect that suggested kindness. 

With patience, she waited at the borders she'd found, having learned a certain amount of decorum and politeness from her mothers, wnd their cool, calm composure when dealing with strangers. She knew the appreciation that there was to be had for polite visitors, so she sought to conduct herself as such and would remain where she was, until a wolf approached her, who looked as though she had materialized from a small piece of cloud. 

She had tuliped ears, and a effervescent lightness to her pale, rose-gold pelt that Chacal immediately envied. The feathering of her legs made her look as though she was floating. Her pelt was dappled lightly, opalescent almost, and each gemstone eye was set lovingly in a patch of pale almond. She felt plain compared to a creature so lovingly decorated, but the smile she was given was endearing and warm, so she tried not to feel too overwhelmed. 

And you as well, She chimed in response. She'd been sitting when she'd first caught sight of the lovely woman, but had risen to her feet to properly greet her, though it was with her tail swinging amicably at her hocks and her head dipped below her shoulders. My name is Chacal Dahomey-Rivaini, and I come from Sapphique; dis be de first I have been to dis place, so lovely, and, unique, She versed, her gilded gaze fetching up on the woman's enchanting features. Her warm smile, she thought, might convey the intended compliment. Is your pack new to de area? She asked, her voice lilting and playful. She wanted to know more about the pack on the glacier- and would find what she needed to know with charm if necessary, as it brought her unexpected pleasure to be so flirtatious with the stranger.

Imaq's folded auds rose to capture the younger woman's fluid accent and unique name -- finding her as remarkable as some had found the buttercream confection in the past. The nightwisp's flirting was, unfortunately, lost on the conservative shepherd who had never been presented with the option of females as romantic partners. She merely dipped her head gratefully at the compliment of the Glacier, her smile deepening a tad as her fluffy hindquarters gave a small wiggle. 

"Ah, some," Imaq answered, thinking that their leader might not want her sharing too much info but this seemed safe enough. Only a fool would believe her if the shaman were to say no; anyone with a working nose would be able to sniff out that their claim was rather new. "We work towards foundation everyday, jah, getting closer everyday," she added with a little nod, pride tinting her tones. 

So the pack was new. It would have been news to Chacal even if the pack had lived here for quite some time- but the markings were clearly enough defined that there wasn't really much way for her to tell how long the pack had been around. Sheerly by luck, it seemed, she had caught them in their formation process- which meant that she might be the first wolf from Sapphique to come and speak of diplomacy between the two packs. She felt confident that she could handle this, and the wolf she'd met seemed lovely. Perhaps a bit reserved, but Chacal felt that perhaps she was just shy, and wary of others. She seemed confident, though, enough to seem proud of the pack's formation. Chacal felt happy for her. 

"I am glad to hear of dis, and wish you de best of fortune. May I ask what your pack is to be called?" She asked then, in her flute-like voice. She hadn't managed to make a rhyme for her phrase, but her lilting voice was melodious enough, perhaps, to complete the musical phrase without needing the words to rhyme.

Again, the cur's freckled auds fluttered with the rhythmic music of the dark youngling's voice -- finding herself vaguely envious of such a wondrous quality, thinking of her mothers and the songs they had sung in her youth, an album she still heard playing in the background of her dreams at times. "Our tribe thank you," Imaq lilted in return, smile deepening with warmth towards the girl who could become their ally. 

"Simmik-iinak TuKuk-ikumak," she told the girl in her own tongue, cracked gaze of Sedna shining with some unspoken magick, for the title seemed more beautiful in her own language but maybe she was just biased. "Duskfire Glacier," Imaq clarified then in the common tongue, so Chacal could better understand.

"Imaq," the she-dog introduced herself after a moment, with a hint of ruefulness in the dip of her head as she realized she had forgotten that part earlier on.

The words spoken were not ones that Chacal recognized from either of the languages which she spoke, though she knew enough about language to know that the words Imaq had used were likely from a different language. She had a light accent to her voice, and there was a soft, percussive quality to her words, like the sound of a wet, goat-skin drum being tapped by a soft mallet. A translation was given next- as well as a name which Chacal assumed belonged to the tulip-eared wolfdog, which made her smile slightly. "Beautiful," She said, without bothering to discern which words she was referring to- the pack's name, or the one the wolf gave for herself. 

"De glacier will bring you salvation from the summer's heat; we do de same, as we live near de beach." She said. The ocean winds kept the area cool throughout the summer, so she never had to experience the thick, humid warmth of living further inland. "We live to de West, where de cliffs rise like teeth. Our leaders are my mothers, Erzulie and Rosalyn."

The cur's cracked gaze of cerulean glinted with a momentary spark of intrigue at the yearling's words. Perhaps her sea-tribe shared some custom with the wolves of Salik's Kalallit. Maybe they too found that it eased life to have several mates, multiple mothers and fathers to raise the next generation. It didn't seem polite that she should inquire further into the intimate arrangements of Chacal's mothers, however, thus she didn't ask for details but gave only a slight smile full of kinship. 

"Our chief is @Wintersbane," she shared, thinking it only fair when the ambassador had freely named her own dams and her clan alike. Besides, she'd given no reason for Tupilak to distrust her intentions so far. "He might make good friend of Sapphique, Imaq hope. Maybe Imaq come see Chacal's teeth-innaks," the merle mused softly, haunches tremoring with a faint gesture of excitement at the notion. It had been some time since the golden dove had seen the ocean -- even if it was not the same as her beloved arctic seas. 

Wintersbane. A name that intrigued her; that a wolf could possibly be winter's bane was a concept that she enjoyed. Perhaps he was a lover of the summer- or perhaps he had been born on the morning of the summer solstice. It was a name she would remember, wondering if she might use it some day to name one of her own children, should she have them. She might have to meet the leader first, though, to make sure that she at least approved of the keeper of this most interesting name. 

Imaq hinted that she might come visit, and that the two packs might find peace between them. Chacal smiled; it warmed her heart to think she might have taken the first step in finding an ally for Sapphique. If the rest of the pack could be represented by one as kind as Imaq, then she had little to worry about. "You would be welcomed," Chacal responded amicably. "Perhaps our meeting might strike up a bond between our packs," She suggested. Any excuse, she thought, to give herself the opportunity to meet Imaq again.

"Nakummek," the merle wisped gratefully, limbs quivering for a moment as if she wished to pat her paws on the ground excitedly but repressed the urge. "Thank you," she repeated in common with a slight smile. "Imaq speak with Wintersbane. Tell him of Sapphique and Chacal," she nodded eagerly as she said it. Feeling a momentary surge of pride to be serving her tribe so well, to be striking up alliances with their neighbors -- completely unaware of any tension between Wintersbane and the leaders of the gemstone wolves.

With a smile, Chacal took that promise to mean that their conversation had been congenial, and that it was time for her to begin the journey back to the oceanside. Her voice still had a light lilt and musicality to it as she stood, bowed her head respectfully, and uttered her departing message. "We are well met, Imaq. I hope our paths shall cross again soon," She chimed, before she turned and headed back for her homeland.

Her auds cupped forward as she listened to the melodies of the young she-wolf's farewell, lips curling as she lifted to her paws and dipped her head graciously to the visitor. "Aya," the merle agreed with ease, finding an easy kinship with the gilded blackbird despite their differences. "Chacal come visit again, maybe see the Glacier," she invited the yearling, reminding herself to speak to @Wintersbane about such a thing.

"Imaq wish Sedna smiles on Chacal's travels to the sea," the gilded merle blessed the young one's travels, translating the words into common as best she could. It was a little jilted but the warmth of her smile would hopefully alleviate any doubts about the sincerity she expressed the statement with.

Imaq watched the girl go, lingering just long enough to see her dark silhouette disappear as it merged with the hazy fringes of the horizon, before turning back towards the Glacier and her usual duties -- though with a satisfied sense of community at having spoken with one of their neighbors.