Duskfire Glacier Piusik

Set for when Issorartuyok returns to the glacier with Meerkat.

The journey back from the caldera felt as though it had taken little time.

Issorartuyok had kept his mind on the prey, wondering if young Veteran had been able to scout any of the herds in the area. Worry pricked at him, imagining returning with Meerkat to find that many of their village was stricken with illness. With the moon woman visiting their lands, he did not want to find disease spreading through his people.

They had not been infected, though. Many of the wolves were safe, just as they had been when the northerner had left. It helped to ease his mind.

That day, Issorartuyok ventured to the border of the glacier and just beyond it to howl for @Heda. It would be good to see the young wolf, to take her into the village and begin teaching.

heda had been ready.
the calls of unfamiliar wolves arriving at the glacier had stirred her for days. she had asked mahler about it. moonglow, he had told her, led by a woman named kukutux. she had been the healer which had come back with wylla to tend him.
curiosity had spurred heda into the shared lands, so when the duskfire man called, she came up to find him at once. "mahler says moonglow is close!" she called before she was close. "is it true? are they staying?"

Heda was swift to arrive. Upon her face was an expression of interest, eager and driven. Issorartuyok smiled warmly to her as she approached. His large head was bowed so that he could greet her – eye to eye.

Before the young figure had even reached him, she was bursting with questions upon her lips. The northerner drew his head back up and turned his gaze toward where the Moonglow wolves were stationed. When he met the young Heda’s eye again, he nodded his head.

They will stay here with us until winter has passed. They will hunt and explore. You would like to meet them? Issorartuyok offered. He was pleased to allow Heda to set the tone for the first of their visits. He wished for the young protector to be comfortable. The northern man thought it would be nice to introduce the young member of Rivenwood to Kukutux and her village, regardless.

heda listened carefully, but shook her head when the man offered an introduction. "not yet. i um, i want to talk to my — to my family first." she said it without first recalling what they had spoken about. but now that she remembered, he had been correct. she would not make choices without thinking of them.
"i'm actually here because —" heda sucked in a breath and pulled her eyes from the alluring horizon behind which moonglow must be "— i was wondering if you could teach me to fight. ah. defend. both?" she added hopefully, tail swaying behind her as she gave the man her full attention.

Heda expressed a desire to speak with her family before she might meet the wolves of Moonglow. Issorartuyok thought this peculiar. He did not ask her about it. The man only nodded his head in small understanding and allowed the young figure to continue.

She wished to know how to fight.

The northerner laughed softly and nodded his head again, more invigorated in the gesture than before. Curiosity still pricked inside of him. Heda appeared eager for this, wanting. There was something that drove the question from her lips. Issorartuyok wondered if something had happened to her while he had journeyed to the caldera. There was a spark in her gaze.

Yes, he answered her verbally. The dark of his eyes met her vision and he held her gaze.

Why is it that you wish to learn, young spirit?

issoratuyok's eyes were fascinating. and terrifying. she still held the innate desire of a wolf to look away, and moreso as a child, and not even one subordinate to him. and so eventually heda's eyes dropped. she rolled her shoulders, cleared her throat.
"okay, so. what happens if a wolf i don't know comes to rivenwood. what would i do first? let's say no one is around. just me. at least at first."
she looked at him, tail swaying, and hoping that he would not take too unkindly to her stumbling. she was ready to learn, and she hoped it showed.
heda was grateful that issoratuyok did not ask why she hadn't sought mahler for this training.

The question she asked was rather specific. The young girl wished to know what she should do if she notices a stranger has crossed into their home, has invaded the borders they clearly marked. Heda stated that she wished to know what she should do if she was alone, at first. Issorartuyok nodded his head thoughtfully, accepting the inquiry and mulling it in his mind. He wished to think, not to dismiss her concerns or queries.

First, you should call to others. You are stronger together than you will ever be alone, he offered to her with an encouraging smile.

Then, it is your duty to protect your village and the wolves in it. You show fearlessness in the eyes of the unknown. Hold your head high, for you are a wolf of Rivenwood and you are its protector.

Issorartuyok lowered his head slightly, placing his features directly across from her. Pride and duty were powerful stimulants, he had found. They could motivate the fear from any man’s body without hesitation, without faltering. There had to be a want to protect one’s home. It must mean something to her.

Rivenwood is not a home to you if you do not feel honor in baring your fangs to protect it. This was only advice, of course. She could make anywhere a home. Issorartuyok only knew that she would not feel the same drive if she felt a calling to go elsewhere.

Let me see how you might approach me. I am a trespasser, Heda. Do not hold back.

The northerner crouched into a prowling form and his earthy eyes watched her shrewdly.

heda listened as carefully as she could. call for others. be fearless. hold your head up. be proud. 
rivenwood is not a home to you
heda heard the rest of the man's statement but did not comprehend it. it shook her; she fought the urge to look back toward the bypass, as if to assure herself it was there.
issoratuyok invited her attack. heda squared herself and took a breath.
she tried to imagine him at the borders of her home, trying to sneak in. she tried to think of her sisters and the other little kids in the pack, how they might be hurt if he gained entry.
her heart began to pound. with a shout she rushed him, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth as she attempted to smash her smaller body against his high shoulder.

Issorartuyok would not treat her as a child. She had wished to learn what it meant to defend, to protect that which she loved. He watched as she squared her body and then released a cry of war. She dove toward him with her strength, but she did not keep her eyes open. The northern man admired her fearlessness in the moment. It was a show of her spirit.

With his gaze upon her, he stepped away from where she would have struck him.

As she drew toward where he’d stood, Issorartuyok swung his skull down, aiming to crack his chin against the roof of her head. It would hurt, perhaps throb, but he wished for her to know how important it would be to keep her eyes upon her target. That fearlessness would only plunge her headfirst into death if she did not know where she was going.

Eyes open, mighty one. You must always hold the gaze of your target in your eye, his voice was for her.

issoratuyok was not easy on her.
"ow, shit!" the girl cussed, scooting away from him and the attack that had failed. but not fast enough. her head pulsated where he had struck her. she blinked in shock up at him, but then gave a nod as she understood.
eyes up. she needed to see what was going to happen.
"wew," heda mumbled under her breath, backing away to restart her stalk.
this time the girl did not shout. she ran again at issoratuyok, jaws parting to snap for his lips along the left side of his mouth. the girl dug her claws into the mud, scarcely daring to blink as she tried to anticipate his responsive move.

The man felt his heart clench at her response. She recoiled, blinking up at him with a pained expression. It was a difficult task, he thought, teaching a young one what it meant to fight. It meant that they would be hurt. There would be no way to train as a defender without facing such risks. They would offer their bodies in exchange for the safety of their village and the people they loved. There was honor in this, in baring fangs for a just cause.

When Heda tried again, this time her gaze was trained upon his body, unblinking and fierce. She did not cry out as a warrior but darted for him with her teeth bared. The northerner found this a remarkable change in nature. He watched her with a close gaze until her fangs snapped for his lip. Issorartuyok met her with his own snapping teeth. It was a test of courage, or so he hoped.

The sharpness of her teeth would make their mark, but his own would meet her. Would she stand brave against the growl that bubbled from his throat?

the growl that poured from issoratuyok rattled heda. she stumbled but kept her footing. the sound that erupted from her did not match that of the glacier leader. it was something together entirely, a low rumbling that sent air snorting from her nostrils.
her lips were punctured by the man's teethtips. heda swallowed her yelp and forced her muzzle more forcibly against his own. blood smeared her mouth; her tail lashed behind her, and the gilt eyes had gone cold with something beyond her, something that sought dominance and to be heeded.

In battle, Issorartuyok was unbreakable. His spirit was not afraid of the damage that others could cause. He had endured worse and would endure worse still. This had always been the most difficult hurdle to overcome when training the younger wolves to fight, to defend their home. He would be unmovable until he had died and then he would be no more.

Heda’s snarl did not surprise him but invigorated him. The blood that spilled from the edge of his mouth, where her teeth had met his flesh, filled the air with a sharp scent. Her fangs were still young, and this meant that her bite was vicious in its prick. Issorartuyok was pleased that she did not hold back. The glint of her eyes was lost on him. He was a man who was doing what he could to teach.

But he would not heed her demand for dominance.

The northerner pulled his head back from her, shielding his throat and his viable pain points. He drew a tongue across the bloodied lip. Issorartuyok prowled like a leopard, ready to meet Heda’s next move, to use the force of his body to show her the strength of a wolf.

heda stood back, panting. she watched as issoratuyok's muzzle lowered over his throat. stepping away several feet, she attempted to mimic him. the girl's hackles stood out wildly, bristling. his dark eyes were watchful.
heda inhaled, exhaled, set her gaze on him. she dashed forward again.
this time her young teeth snapped for his shoulder. it was higher than her, for now; she had to reach up, steadying her weight on spindly hindquarters.
she growled again, and fiercely, tail revolving behind her questing body.

Heda was swift to mirror his movements, to fall into a protective stance for herself. Issorartuyok was pleased to see it. She had the ferocity of a warrior in her eyes. The sharpness of her fangs struck without any real hesitation. These things would become more natural to her as she progressed, he was certain.

When the young girl rushed him, he followed her trajectory with a keen eye. She aimed for his shoulder. The northerner believed this was a brave move, based only on his towering height and thick musculature. Heda was smaller, at least for the time being, and her skills would likely serve her better if she utilized her speed and agility against someone larger than her. Issorartuyok would normally have explained this verbally, but they were already in the heat of their spar and his mind was only upon the battle.

The large wolf made his figure firm, digging his paws against the earth to brace for her impact. Issorartuyok was prepared to feel the sting of her fangs again. This time, he thrust the weight of his body against his shoulder and hoped to knock her down.

two things occurred. the first was that heda felt herself seize the duskfire man by his flesh. this excited and surprised her. and so she let her footing grow lax for a moment.
the second was that issoratuyok's gambit smashed her already sore lips into the edge of her own jaw. a true high and girlish yelp erupted. and then "fuck!" as she hit the ground because she would be bruised in more than one place now.
heda stared up at him, dazed once more. "okay. gonna call it." she groaned but gave a good-natured laugh as she stood to her paws again. "you weren't gonna let me win one time huh?" there was a novel spark in her gilt eyes.

The pale fighter yelped and withdrew with a dazed expression.

Issorartuyok stepped toward her, careful to inspect her figure for any signs of damage that was not immediately known. His bloodied lip dripped into the snow on the ground. He swept his tongue across it again, hoping that he would not bloody her coat. When she spoke, it was to suggest that he might have gone easier on her, or perhaps to tease at as much.

The northerner smiled softly and shook his head.

If I were to let you win, you would feel strong and sure. It would not do you good. When you do win, when you are the victorious protector, it will feel much better. The large man nudged at her shoulder with his nose.

Your fangs are sharp and you are a swift learner.

beneath her soreness and bruising, heda grinned beneath his praise. "i guess i did an okay job. can't wait to tell druid you totally beat me up," she jested, tail waving behind her. 
the girl considered again the growing want inside her. "issoratuyok," she began, carefully and hesitantly, "when did you leave home? like, how old were you?" 
was it normal to feel this way?
she fixed in her mind the faces of her sisters and her nomi.

Hmm, the man mused gently at her question.

I was almost a year. I had just hunted my first caribou with my village and I had made the killing blow.

It had bene a proud moment for Issorartuyok. It had been the moment when his mother had believed him to be a man. He had spoken to her and discussed his desires to leave. She had been saddened, but she knew that his path would carry him elsewhere. It had been difficult, still. The northerner thought of his family often and hoped that they were safe.

What are you thinking, Heda? Does your spirit call you elsewhere?

Issorartuyok wondered if she had an idea for where she wished to go, or if she felt as he had. It was fine to wander, he knew as much. If she knew that she would need a home eventually, it would likely do her some good. The man wondered if he might lose her as an apprentice, which twinged at him sadly.

"yes." she spoke directly, like the mother she would never know, like the mother who had raised her from infancy. "it calls me here."
caribou. killing blow. almost one year. "i was born the end of spring," she mused aloud, mostly for herself.
heda turned her eyes over the glacier. "it hasn't gone away, wanting to come here." for a while she only paused, and then eventually looked back toward issoratuyok. "i think my sister and mahler and my mom would be sad but i think i'd come anyway." her mouth curled uncertainly. "sometimes rivenwood doesn't feel like home. not the way it did when i was little."

The words she shared with him made sense, but they troubled him in a way that he was not certain how he might address. She spoke of her home as though she had already made up her mind. Issorartuyok had no intention of changing her will, but he did not wish for her to believe that a place had anything to do with where a home was. At least, not when it mattered the most.

Heda, you would be welcome in my village. I would be proud and pleased to have you, know this.

The northerner nodded his head to her gently. The words he offered were genuine, filled with warmth and knowing for her situation. He could not help but wonder if she would miss her family after time had settled her choice. Issorartuyok did not want for her to feel such heartache.

A home can be made anywhere. What matters is who you build it with, yes? It felt important to him that she understood this.

heda nodded. issorartuyok had a way of making her feel assured in her choice. his voice was caring. it brought a lump to her throat; she was also thinking of mahler. of sequoia. of her sisters.
and somehow, even her brother.
"i'll let you know then," heda murmured. "in the meantime, i'll come back. to learn from you." 
her eyes shone as she said this. if the glacier man had nothing else to say, she would step forward to offer a respectful lick toward his chin.
setting her sights toward the taiga, heda descended.

The northerner smiled and nodded his head in understanding.

Heda was a remarkable child, he felt. She deserved to find strength in her path and to feel sound in the home she made for her spirit. The man could only be grateful that he had something to offer her, to help guide that restlessness that had swept through her.

How had he become such a man? For he had never drawn the eye of youth before, save for lessons on hunting caribou or fishing when the waters froze. It was strange to know that he was so welcomed by the young ones on and near the glacier. Issorartuyok was touched by them, inspired to do better for them.

The visits he had shared with Heda, Veteran, even Ensio had spurred his desire to be a father. As he watched Heda retreat, he wondered if a family would ever be in his future.