Silverlight Terrace iksuruk ≕

@Tybault <3

she left moonglow behind and fixed the want of her daughter's new man in her mind.

today she was matchmaker. she wore a pelt of glossy black over her shoulders.

the woman descended, offering a prayer to the rabbits which ran away over the snow, that they would give themselves soon to a hunter.

Normally, he probably wouldn't have approached the woman. Tybault didn't have much interest in connecting with individuals; he would seek out packs as long as it was necessary, but he wasn't here to make friends. He was here to find Ophelia.
But she smelled of Moonglow, and she wore a dark pelt across her shoulders, and the Medeiros was simply too curious to live and let live. He approached slowly, cautious lest he startle the pale woman. Hello. You're from Moonglow, aren't you? He didn't wait for a response before adding, Why are you wearing that? It was, after all, the main reason he'd bothered to say anything to her.

the man's scent was familiar. 

perhaps he had not long ago come to their village.

but he had not stayed long enough to know who she was. "i am," the duck said. "i wear this against the cold and i wear it to carry back the things that i find."

her green eyes studied him.

Her response was more practical than he'd expected. Intrigued, Tybault surveyed the pelt more openly now.
That sounds useful. What kind of animal did it come from? It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. She was unlike anything he'd seen before, now that he was looking at her. Ethereal like a morning snowfall, but her eyes promised spring; there was something motherly about her. She was certainly old enough to be his mother, he thought, mostly out of obligation. That was something the other boys did, he'd noticed; they commented even on a woman's lack of attractiveness or eligibility, as if it always mattered simply because she was a woman. He didn't understand it, but he knew that it wasn't normal to not think such things, so he tried to make himself think it. It felt kind of rude, though.

who was this man who held such curiosity?

"you came to my village and spoke to the star-hunter." now her green eyes sought to hold the stranger. she did not answer his question, for he was rude not to first know her name.

but she was not offended. and nor was she deterred. moonwoman waited for a response.

It was almost as if she'd sensed his rude thoughts; he felt chastised by her lack of answer, and by her direct question. Caught off-guard, he could only say, Shikoba? And then, when he realized he was acting ignorant — I mean - yes. I was looking for information about my sister. I still am. He almost apologized right then, but managed to stop himself. Of course she couldn't know what he'd been thinking.

"yes."

she lifted her chin and looked at this man of beautiful shades. "but still you stay in this place. why?"

why had he not gone up the coast? why did he linger close to the wilderness of the spine?

kukutux was becoming slowly amused.

Tybault rn

It was like she saw right through him, every layer of him; with her next words she cut right to the core of his struggles. He had turned back. He had broken his own rule, and he still wasn't quite sure why.
I had moved on, Tybault defended immediately, thoughtlessly. I went to Sweetharbor, and I was heading to Sapphique, but - And that was where his logic stopped. I was curious about Moonglow. Yes, the lie he'd told himself; he knew it was a lie and surely she would too. Part of him knew that it had something to do with tracker boy, too, but that wasn't the heart of it. He knew that much. He did not, however, want to dig any deeper to find out more.
I'm not giving up, He added, but he couldn't manage the defiance he was going for. Instead, it came out lifeless, as if he was making some half-hearted effort at convincing himself. Maybe he was.

hahahaha

moonwoman. matchmaker. wisewolf.

she was all of these things. and she was more.

"i do not know sweetharbor. but i know sapphique." she studied the man. "if you have the wish to know more of moonglow, then ask your questions of me. i am kukutux, mother of the village. sun man is my husband. star-hunter is my sister."

her eyes glowed.

Omg this took forever I'm sorry

He took a second to really let her words sink in, then. Kukutux, sun man, star-hunter. Was that really Shikoba's title? Tybault wasn't sure how to feel about it. He hadn't really thought of Shikoba in the same way he thought of other people, back at Moonglow, and now he was. It was easier to think of pack wolves as part of a hive mind, creatures separate from himself, when they were within their homes. Not always, but most of the time, and he liked it much better that way.
But they were people, all of them, not just extensions of their packs like branches on a tree. Mother of the village? He echoed, thinking of how he had once praised Mother Rain. The Gilded Sea was no village, though, and Mother Rain was more than just a woman. But then — Kukutux, too, seemed to be more than just a woman. What do you know about - gods? Things he no longer believed in, but wondered about nonetheless. Did Moonglow praise Mother Rain, or something else entirely? Or maybe they praised no one at all. Tybault wasn't sure which answer he preferred.

no worries! <3

her small worn teeth shone in a bright smile.

"i know many things about many gods."

her springjade eyes followed him as she circled softly.

"what will you trade this woman for this wisdom?"

A trade. Tybault swallowed and felt his youth sharply as Kukutux circled. He was out of his depth here; he always was, but this time he knew it. I don't know what would be acceptable for a trade, He admitted. She knew many things about many gods, and what did he have? What did he know? He aspired to know it all, to be a know-it-all, and he knew that — but not much else, really.

"a story. words of your people. names."

she blinked. "of your sister."

kukutux sought the words that would expose the man's spirit to her.