Ouroboros Spine in which death has claimed as mine

maybe someone from moonglow he has yet to really meet? :D

slowly, if only because kivaluk had spent weeks fighting and rebelling against the change, he was beginning to recognize moonglow as home. it was wolves and it was food and it was stability. what had befallen natigvik had been out of his control, just as akkuma's own spiral into self isolation.

the ex-princeling does not walk with the same swagger he had walked the borders of the qeya river. for while he was family, he still had to find his footing, to see what paths he wanted to take and what role he would fill for moonglow.

this is still a large unknown.

but he finds comfort in the familiarity of border patrolling and takes to the marked borders of the spine in the early morning moonlight, adding his scent among the others and keeping a keen eye to the world outside.

*greedily steals*

young kivaluk was not alone while patrolling borders, star hunter was also active in her tasks of remaining a strict warden of the spine. despite the turbulence she feels with her husband's presence within Moonglow, she does her best to ignore the feeling. one would think that relief would have swallowed her whole, but something bitter stays in the deep crevices of her heart. perhaps this is all just related to the initial pain from his disappearance in the first place.


she is surprised to see another face during this hour. shikoba often found herself alone during her night patrols, as other inhabitants in the spine slept better at night than she. however, she wouldn't mind the presence of the boy. after all, kigipigak referred to her as the atchaga of the boys. shikoba ought to step into the role more.

when she saw the young face illuminated in moonlight, she would chuff to him as a greeting. more so an invitation to join her. she knew of the face, but not of the name of this one. however, there is always time for introductions.

a chuff breaks thru the quiet that kivaluk has deigned to wrap 'round him like a blanket. it breaks the stillness of the early morning, of the moon's gradual descent and the slumbering of the woodland creatures — and perhaps most of the pack. his ears flutter atop his skull, gaze peering over his shoulder.

he recognizes the woman as moonglow but does not recognize her face nor her name. little does he know, she is the woman named by his father as one he should seek for training.

hello. kivaluk greets.

his words fall fondly onto her ears, the woman dips her own head in silent greeting to the young man.

"you are up early," she would say, though it lacked the chiding nature that most mothers would offer to see their sons up past their bedtime, "the borders call to you?" she wondered what other things called this boy, perhaps the river, perhaps his brother, perhaps those of tartok.

she'd wait for an answer and soon after introduce herself. "I am shikoba, young hunter."  she assumed with kigipigak as his father, he'd be raised with enough manners to offer his own name without the prodding of the older woman. "moonglow is strong with your family's presence." she was happy to have the others join the spine. as winter drew closer, the village would have to work hard to provide.

thankfully, there were not several mouths of children to feed for this cycle of life. perhaps next year, there would be.

kivaluk does not retiterate her statement with an answer for he felt that her statement about him being up early was meant as a rhetorical one. they do. replies kivaluk to her question, however, acknowledging that probably many his age could not be bothered to be drug from their den until at least noon. as it was, kivaluk does not like being idle and at that wouldn't call himself a normal nearly yearling.

my father spoke of you, kivaluk says. actually said i was supposed to seek you out for training. his tone turns sheepish when it is drawn, blatantly, that he has yet to do such. i am kivaluk. he offers his name in return. it wasn't his whole family, and he feels akkuma's absence keenly again.

when she hears the mention of kigipigak, shikoba would not her head towards the young boy. she felt a certain aspect of honor that would come with being referred to, most likely to do with hunting or teaching. either way, the woman would happily oblige.

kivaluk. a strong name that mirrored his father's.

"walk with me, kivaluk," she'd invite him to head along the edges of the borders where not a soul lingered out beside the two wolves, "what do you need training in?" the boy already seemed well-disciplined considering his youthful age and willingness to patrol where no one else would be awake. 

she could offer anything that was important for the boy though she was curious about what kigipigak had wanted the boy to specialize in.

at her invitation, kivaluk follows along, moving to match her pace whilst remaining back and deffering to the fact that she was leadership. he's still getting used to his place here and where he fit into the grand scheme of moonglow. it was not natigivik and sometimes ( more than others ) he is painfully aware of this.

i'm hoping to hone my hunting skills, kivaluk murmurs. and my skills as a warrior.

kigipigak has always been highly regarded by shikoba, one thing she always appreciated was his upbeat nature and outlook on things. he always spoke with such pride and joy, he was a man that seemingly felt many things and was not afraid to express them. his son seems a bit more reserved, though shikoba must remember that this is not his natal home, and she is not a familiar face.

"both of those i can help," she says to him with a nod as they walk, "what does kivaluk wish to know?" she could offer her skills as a guardian, not to mention that she herself is trying to become more trained and agile in the ways of her own warrior father and mother. kivaluk may find shikoba to be more of a teacher than an aunt, but perhaps he would learn to prefer this.

"there are many paths for both that can be taken. many ways for you to learn." in a way, it was overwhelming. yet, it was also exciting and perhaps an endless process of learning that would forever ensnare the attention of a scholarly boy.

while kivaluk desires simply to answer so many things, he knows that reply was vague and unhelpful. of course he sought knowledge that he didn't have but by asking, she'd left it to him to choose what his priorities were. well, my targets are guardian and deerstalker. specific branch offs of what was the base of those trades.

i am already a hunter so mercenary is my focus at the moment. he was finding it hard to balance them both while he strove for mastery of the specialties.

how does moonglow handle loners at the borders? he asks, thinking it was a good place to start.

guardian, that was right up her alley. shikoba of course wanted to branch into more things and become stronger and quicker, so perhaps having a young pupil will sharpen her own skills as a mentor.

his question causes the woman to look towards him gently. "moonglow will always provide a home to those who wander," this was true for many of the faces shikoba has known during her time, as well as herself, "that is the way of our moon woman."  there were different ways to interpret this certainly, one with the view of charity and the other for weakness.

"but moonglow is not weak," she'd pause in her footsteps for a moment, allowing the boy to rest with her, "moon woman and shikoba both wear scars from protecting the borders." this land was not home to weak dogs who lacked teeth, that was for sure to shikoba. 

her gaze was fixed on the outer parts before coming to look upon the young hunter. "has kivaluk chased anyone away from nativgik?" a simple question to see where his experience remained.

his aunt, kivaluk was beginning to learn, had a big heart and it only made his affection for her grow, despite the fact that he, himself, does not entirely understand how she could be so welcoming. even though it was that very nature that took in natigivik when they'd had no where else to go.

a couple of foxes, he tells her, thinking of days before they'd left their home to come to moonglow for good. nothing major.

she hums to his words, foxes were indeed something. perhaps not seen as a large gesture to most,t but shikoba as a teacher saw value in any action that held intent. she was pleased with the boy, to say the least. "foxes are just as important," she'd chide him lightly with a nudge of her own shoulder against his lightly, "your father and I chased them together."

she still had one of the furs, a mated couple who thankfully lacked pups. in a moment, shikoba could think of the brutality that came from such a gruesome act. but brutality was the nature of the beast, and shikoba would not turn her back on her upbringing and her roots. there would always be foxes, but hopefully none in the spine.

"have you sparred before?" she would be surprised if he hadn't, considering the strength that seemingly exuded from the backbone's prodigy. shikoba would expect nothing less from the sons of tartok, though in the quiet moments she prayed that they would not pick up on the behaviors of said wolves.

a soft, noncommital noise of agreement lingers in kivaluk's throat at her assurance that foxes are just as important. though they are not as big is wolves they are also not hindered by border markings and had a tendency to raid food caches at their pleasure. equally, they could be just ( if not more ) mischevious.

the mention that she and kigipigak had chased off foxes comes as a soft surprise to him, forgetting that there was a reason moonglow was family. he knew little of his father's life before natigvik. only what he'd been told and the wisps of what he's heard. still, on this he does not speak as he feels he has nothing to offer verbally.

i have. he replies to her question. a few clumsy attempts with akkuma before — before. a great and vague way to wrap up that. and once with tulukiri shortly before we came to moonglow. it wasn't much experience but it was something, at least.

shikoba appreciated the respectfulness the boy carried within his body. he was not overly boastful or confident but instead lingered on the side of caution. this would aid him well in some cases, and perhaps poorly in others. truly, it would just depend on the situations kivaluk would find himself in as he continued to grow. the boy was clear that his past experiences were not super serious, and she was a bit surprised that his own father hadn't stepped in to start the training of tartok fighting. however, perhaps this would mean that the boy was a moldable piece of clay, ready to be constructed into the perfect warrior.

shikoba would ensure to approach with guiding hands that would give challenge but lack serious pressure. encouraging growth, excitement, and confidence would be her key targets for the boy. and with that, she would come to stand in front of him, lowering herself into a position ready for a light spar. not one hair stood on edge, and she hoped the swaying of her tail would allow for the interaction to come off as a warm invite than a challenge.

"come, kivaluk," she would encourage him, "show me what you know."

there is a soft pang of doubt as he watches her lower herself into a stance that invited him to spar, even before she spoke the words. this doubt is borne from the fact that kivaluk, the dutiful son, wanted to be the best and expected nothing less than perfection from himself ...and knew he was not as experienced with sparring as he was hunting.

he knows that failing was a lesson learned, that he wouldn't get better if he didn't practice, but feels the lingering kiss of embarrassment all the same.

regardless, he steels his shoulders, gaze looking for any potential opening: applying his already learned skills as hunter. it was similar, he tells himself.

his muscles tense, body taunt as he lunges: his aim to land a nip at her left front leg.

he is nimble and quick -- shikoba did not expect for him to take the offense. however, she felt exhilarated by this. the boy was willing to show what he knew, and the woman would ensure to give him a good spar to learn and to grow from. his attempt to snap at her leg was a good start, aiming to offset the balance of his opponent.

shikoba would aim to move swiftly out of his way, though if she felt the graze of teeth, she would know that she did not move fast enough. a strong first move, but one that would require more power to cause the warrior woman to stumble. thankfully, this spar was not meant to draw blood, and the star hunter would remind herself that this was meant to be a lesson, nothing more. 

kivaluk was bigger than her, as most wolves were due to her smaller stature. there would be no way to truly overpower him, shikoba would have to show how the technique could make all the difference. and with her smaller body and lower sense of gravity, the woman side step and then pushes herself lower toward the ground in a deep crouch with springy legs.

her aim was to swoop down like a bird of prey beneath the jaws of kivaluk and aim to grab ahold of his neck, should it open for such an attempt. this was perhaps one of the few instances that shikoba knew her smaller size gave her the advantage, she found holes that wolves of her size could fit in that others would struggle with.

kivaluk, wrongly, assumes that as the larger of the two, he has an upper paw. he strategizes in his head how he might attack next in the seconds between breaths only to realize he was already beaten as she slips low and grabs his neck.

instinctively, he yields and assumes the fight is over.

she's won.

a rush of embarrassment at how quickly and easily he'd been beaten rushes to warm his cheeks beneath his fur, forcing his eyes to cast downwards, causing his ears to flatten against his skull.

in a real fight that would've been the KO move.

sooo, he drawls in a breath, letting out a sheepish laugh as he takes a step back. clearly i have a lot to learn.

UGH this is a monologue plz do not feel pressured to match, shikoba is just wanting to fill his brain with knowledge

he was surprised to feel him yield so quickly, expecting the boy to try and wring himself away from her grip. but, if that were a true death grip, he might be worried about the possible damage to his windpipe with the attempt to squirm out of her grasp.

shikoba was of course quick to let go and let the boy catch his breath. his embarrassment was met with a reassuring glint in her sulfur eyes, and she would simply nod her head to his statement. "yes, like most your age. skill comes with practice."

it was easy to get lost in the wind when you are young, hearing nothing but the howling noise in your ears and nothing else. but with age, practice, and patience, a trained set of ears could hear through the static and pick out what was important.

"your move was strategic," she told him as she came to sit in front of her pupil, "legs are an easy place to cause a trip. or in other cases, there are easy bones to break there." shikoba had snapped a leg or two in her day, and she knew the sickening crunch and sensation that followed with such a brutal and damning attack.

"your first lesson is to not underestimate yourself, and never underestimate your opponent," the woman now rising to her paws, "I am smaller, this is certain." she comes forward to stand next to the boy, showing a clear difference in size and height. coming back to her position in front now, she smiles at him. "but size will not matter when it comes to skill and technique. you can't change size, but you can change how you fight."

<3

he is pleased that she offers praise in tandem with constructive instruction. his instinct to go for her leg was good, and he offers a small wag of his tail.

that sounds a bit contradicting. kivaluk says with a small laugh, peering down at her as she moves to stand at his side as if to capitalize upon their size differences. you are fast, because you are small. he offers what he has observed. it caught me off guard. he admits, because he hadn't been expecting her to be fast.

his mistake; or, to be kinder, a lesson he had needed to learn.

his confusion, offered with a laugh, brings a bright smile to the woman's face. age was meant to slow others down, but for shikoba, life was still in the fast lane. her bones will get porous and her muscles will waste, but until the day comes, the woman is quick to pounce.

"kivaluk will learn with time." she would reassure him, though was quite happy to see that he was not disappointed too much about the quick turnaround time for the spar. "i am small and fast, and can fit into tight spaces, even if close to the ground." this was the critical point of where her attack landed perfectly, among with other factors as well.

"a good warrior knows his strengths and weaknesses. and he knows how to find them in his opponents." this lesson was best when marinated with consistent lessons, experience, and time. and thankfully shikoba had plenty of all three. "what are your strengths?" this question would hopefully encourage some important thoughts.

what are your strengths?

kivaluk takes a moment, perhaps longer than needed, to contemplate this. his ears flutter back to rest at half mast atop his skull as he carefully considers the question. what were his strengths? i am thick, he says, slowly. so i have power in my paws, in my body weight. in this, it was almost like hunting: use his strength to it's utmost advantage.

still, he looks to her, hoping that he was right in the conclusions he drew about what he knew to be his strengths.

strength. he had hit the nail on the head.

she nods to him with an eager wag of her tail (this tutoring stuff was getting fun). "yes, strength and power. good things to have." at times, shikoba wished she were bigger bone for the spars and wars she had been part of in her past. it certainly would have made it easier for her to hold her ground against others and not get whumped on as many times.

"stand tall," she'd encourage him, straightening and lifting her own shoulders and head, "you intimidate others with your height and strength. sometimes they will just run if they're afraid." she wondered if the boy would continue to be the aggressor in his fights or if he'd be happy if the opponent would be too much of a coward to stand their ground.

"good first lesson, you have promise to be a good warrior." she liked seeing young and raw talent, something she wished she would share with her own son if he ever held the desire. but if the boy was happier doing other things, she would never force him. "but for now, we check borders. another lesson another day."

okay to fade here? i adore kivaluk and shikoba being in teacher mode haha

sounds good. i'll archive with my post. meee too. i love to see it! <3

good things to have.

an advantage, but also a disadvantage as well. it largely depended, he thinks, on his opponent.

trying to figure out how to deduce such things in the thick of battle ( or a friendly spar ) was something kivaluk would need to work on. for while there were similarities between sparring/fighting and hunting there were notable differences as well.

to separate the two and not try to force them to overlap was something kivaluk would have to learn.

a small startled laugh slips from betwixt his lips at her words, trying to imagine someone being intimidated by him. really? he trusts her experience but still, it's a humorous thing for him to try to imagine: that someone would be cowed by him.

i promise. he whispers, offering her a sage nod.