Ouroboros Spine utsuk ⩅

whenever! <3

adrastus had faded from their spine-circle.

she and the cloudberry woman carried young;

kukutux lifted her head from where she lay outside the ulaq, forcing herself upright as she called for @Zane, a desperate breath hanging in her throat before it was banished.

for moonglow she must now have strength.

Zane had settled into a routine without really realizing it, and while the thought still crossed his mind occasionally, he was becoming comfortable with life in a pack. It occurred to him less and less to leave.

He was not an introspective wolf. If he was, he might have realized this was the longest he'd ever spent in one place.

When Kukutux summoned him, he assumed it was to talk about their captive. If he'd gotten away, Zane wasn't about to feel guilty about slacking in guard duty, and he sauntered up with his usual smile. Hey Duchess. You rang?

"sivullik has gone from us."

her breath was wearied, but eyes glowed with knowingness.

"did you go to the place of moonspear, as i had asked?"

she meant for her tone not to yet be understood. it did not appear as if zane knew this truth, and she wished to see how he might react.

Ah, right, that. Probably he should have given an update sooner, but shit, he'd actually totally forgotten. I did. Didn't see nobody, just a whole lotta rocks. Random stranger probably wasn't much to comment on.

Went up pretty damn high, place is a bit of a mess. Nothin worth worrying about.

Hopefully that covered what she was hopin to find out by that.

she nodded, not truly concerned with the state of moonspear after all that had gone on since zane's journey to this place. 

"adrastus is not here." the sour grass knife had not commented upon this, and it was of importance. "you are secondhunter, and there are choices to be made."

Zane knew that they'd lost a few over the months since he'd gotten here, but he couldn't quite sort out what she meant. What did that have to do with him? If there were decisions, that was her department.

Secondhunter.... uh, duchess. Not sure what you're gettin at, but far as I'm concerned, this is your shindig. He relaxed back into a sit. Decision away.

kukutux was disappointed, but knew zane well enough by now to understand that he would not be persuaded by the flicker of emotion upon her brow. "the boy i have kept in the mountains." 

her gaze fell to the sour grass knife. "he knows each ulaq and many paths in this land. what must be done with him?" he was not firsthunter. he did not even wish to be secondhunter. but she would give him the same respect.

If Zane had the slightest inkling that she wanted him to step up in some way, it was 50/50 on whether he'd actually take a shot at it or risk a lung laughing. As it was, he didn't suspect a thing, and shrugged the entire thought train off as her weird feminine ways the instant she switched subjects. Didn't know what the fuck that had been about, but now she was talking about the kid, so guess here we were.

Do you have to do anything? He's barely big enough for a mountain cat to bother with, let alone to give us any shit. Ain't like anyone could use any of that shit anyway. Zane snorted at the idea of it. What was she, fucking paranoid? Keepin him here without havin him work for it is a waste, seems to me. I say we cut him loose an' let him make his own way.

If he was pack and wanted to freeload, that was different. As it was, he was takin away from the good honest freeloaders and Zane couldn't sit well watching that go down without comment. Not that he expected her to take his advice - and the lack of conviction behind the easy words made that pretty evident.

let him go.

kukutux felt agreement in herself, for she would not have wanted to shed nuak's blood. but she also could not be sure if zane's words were meant in truth, or because he did not want to go against the large stone boy. it was this unsurety that sharpened the duck's want to seek another viewpoint.

"shikoba has the thought that he must be killed, for he will come back. he knows the inside secrets of moonglow. our paths. our words. our ways. we must make sure that he does not come back."

the springjade eyes rested upon zane again, expectant.

No offense, but they sound like a crackpot. Why the fuck... sorry. Why the shit would he care enough to come back here? Zane looked at her with an expression full of skeptical confidence. He was absolutely sure whoever this wolf was, they were both paranoid and full of shit.

He ain't gonna set paw in here again if he picks leavin. But I don't see where else he has to go, so maybe he'd pick stayin anyway. Easier to do that if you ain't bein kept here and feelin the need to prove you ain't trapped. Zane replied with a lazy gesture. Fuck, he'd be tryin to run for the hills too if he was in this kid's place. He'd pretty much explained as much to her when she'd tried to make him promise to stick around, right?

a smirk, in spite of herself and the severity demanded by the situation. zane had not once ceased to amuse her, even in the most strenuous of times.

that was when he had come to moonglow, after all. the aggravation of her heart toward him smoothed, quelled once more — and she nodded.

"these are good things. i will give thoughts to them."

but kukutux would promise zane nor nuak more than this.

Alright. Like I said, you're the boss. He was quietly pleased that she'd listened to him, though. Honestly, had any leader in any pack he'd ever been in done that before? Fuck... wisdom really did come with age. Lookie there.

You need anything else, let me know. I'll keep an eye on him until then. As good of one as he had so far, at least, which was... debateable. But he did think he'd at least curbed the kid's itch to take off into the wilds and get himself eaten by the first bear he ran across. He's an okay kid.

Returning the smile with the same roguish confidence as usual, Zane waited to see if she'd add anything else. If not, he'd take his leave and get back to his 'post'.

zane was warm. he spoke for the young itsik, which surprised kukutux. 

she would give thoughts to this as well.

"sunfather burns, pilannulik. please bring water to him."

she leant back, and allowed the man to go.