Ouroboros Spine mother

would be interesting if he ran into @Samani lol >>

were all the women in this village beautiful?
chakliux walked with a cocky step. he unloaded his catch of a goose into a nearby cache, spitting the down into the snow.
his belly was filled and he had rested. now he would explore the rest of the spine, starting to approach the grove called amauttuk. he meant to hunt again, perhaps, or stretch his body against the trees for a run. or perhaps he might find a place to lie down. there were many possibilities.

There was a newcomer in their village.

The peachy figure of the sea girl had followed the man’s fragrance. It carried hints of faraway places. She wondered if she would catch the wolf who had intrigued her. Setting her mind to this, Samani quickened her pace until she saw the figure of a pale man. He looked contemplative.

A low chuff sounded her approach. Cloudy breaths rose from her snout. Jadestone eyes traced his figure, noting the ticking of dark fur along his back.

oho. chakliux turned to look into eyes the color of a living sea. they captivated him at once. he gave her his earnest, trademark smile. "the oil father blesses my eyes!" the young man exclaimed.
"i am chakliux, of the seal hunter people. i am new to your moonglow. your village mother invited me to stay."
his brightberry eyes searched her own with an open admiration.

Greetings, Chakliux, Samani said to him with a polite dip of her snout. The pale man gazed upon her with admiration in his eyes – like two bright berries against snow. He was of the seal hunter people and he had been accepted into Moonglow by her anaa. This was pleasing to hear. The peachy girl waved her tail and offered him a thin-lipped smile.

I am Samani, daughter of Moonwoman Kukutux.

The girl’s head tilted curiously.

Will you tell me of your travels? Samani would like to hear anything that he might share.

chakliux was becoming more delighted by the moment. a daughter of the village mother herself!
he stood taller then, turning so that his scars might catch her stunning eyes as well. "i left my village and went out upon the ice that covers the sea. but the oil father, he did not see fit to send me back! he covered me in a storm of snow."
his face was expressive as he spoke. "in that snow i saw trees that were blue and birds that swam in the sea. it was a cursed snow, you see. i saw the world upside down."
his eyes had not left hers in the telling. how careful her smile! he saw kukutux in her but samani had her own spirit.

Samani could see that he liked his physique and that he made a small effort to show her his figure. She was calculated as she let her gaze travel the length of his neck and rest upon his shoulders. The white man was handsome, she would not deny that.

Chakliux spoke of a brave journey onto the ice. Cursed snow had surrounded him and created strange images before his eyes – blue trees, birds that swam in the blue sea. He had seen the world upside down, or so he claimed. Samani’s smile grew.

And how did you right the world again, Chakliux?

chakliux' smile broadened. "i walked in the snow until i could walk no longer." he hoped she would be impressed by how he had slipped into the words of her mother, not his own seal-hunter words. the northern people had many dialects and he knew several.
"i told oil father that if he sent me to a rich land with beautiful women, i would give him a year of liver meat." he laughed. "and he sent me here!" chakliux felt his pride grow under the way she had carefully traced her scars with his eyes.

A small laugh sounded from her lips.

Then you will need to hunt for a long time to repay him for all the beauty in Moonglow, brother hunter.

Samani gave him a knowing look. There were many women in their village who could show him true beauty, true companionship. What the sea girl wanted to know was if he sought a wife or only sought to fill his pleasure with as many women as he could. This would tell her what kind of man he would be.

And what is it you seek?

samani was charming. every hair of her seemed smooth as eiderdown. and her eyes, they reminded him that the sea was not far from this place. she called him brother hunter and his chest swelled, puffing somewhat. "i will repay many times over for this truth," chakliux declared.
"i seek good hunting and sweet evenings," he said, dancing in his words now. "what does girl-who-walks-to-the-sea want?"
for this moment, it was only the pair of them, the sounds of the village falling away.

The same.

Samani spoke truth. She only wanted to hunt and to spend her time among those she loved. Good evenings – did he not think that she would know what he meant? He was a strong hunter man. He would find a wife easily, if he so desired one. The sea girl did not think that he would settle, though. There would be trials with this man.

I am told seals are difficult to hunt.

An invitation for him to speak more.

samani did not respond to his allusion with bright eyes or a grin, or anything else that might have signalled her interest. chakliux grew less boastful as a result, chagrined. he reminded himself that she was daughter to the village mother. maybe she was meant for something like mojag's mother, the star-hunter.
"they are heavy, with sharp teeth. very fast in the water," the seal-man went on. "if they pull you under, they will drown you. killing one is what makes you a man among my people. it is then that your shaman gives you these scars."

She was perfectly reserved. Interest swirled in her belly, keeping her grounded there, speaking with him. If he was hoping that she would bat her lashes and giggle at his remarks, he would be disappointed. For all her curiosity, Samani knew that in her poise was a level head. She could observe him and learn from him.

Hunting the seals seemed to be a difficult task. The peachy girl leaned forward, toward him. The tips of her toes ached from the weight of it. Jadestone eyes returned to the scars that had marred his figure. They had been given to him intentionally. Samani could not understand how someone could harm him, scar his beauty with a permanent reminder – did he need this to say that he was a man?

A wave of her tail was offered.

And your snout? she asked with a squint. The same ceremony?

chakliux nodded. "yes. there is much pain," he told samani. "it is weakness to cry, so i did not make a sound." she was young but had the bearing of a woman already.
it was not only her rank which made him more aware of her power. "we have talked many words about me," he seal-hunter chuffed, the grin returning rakishly. "i wish to know of the one who has the name samani."
his eyes returned to her own sea-touched and wise gaze.

Samani had never experienced pain the way he spoke of it. She regarded him with a cool expression. Her eyes were tracing the scars again with new thoughts, new perspective. The pale man boasted that he had not made a sound during this ceremony. She could not place why that settled sourly in her stomach. Perhaps because she did not like to imagine a young man suffering quietly – this was no reason to boast.

But Chakliux wanted to know about Samani. He claimed that they had discussed him enough. The bright berry gleam of his eyes made her stomach flip.

You must ask a question, Chakliux. What is it you wish to know?

She had asked, after all.

"i want to know if the daughter with seawater for eyes has a man," chakliux said boldly. "i want to know the places in the village where she walks when her heart must find peace." she was not tiny in stature, only smaller than he.
the seal-hunter man did not loom over samani. his eyes traced her countenance, which remained beautiful but unknowable.
sea ice woman.

Oh, he was bold!

Samani tilted her head, eyelashes batting curiously upon him. She had never come upon a man who was so forward with his words or intentions. Even Rodyn had held his feelings inside until after he had journeyed far and collected many trophies. The pale man before her had done none of these things and yet he still wished to know the delicate measures of her heart.

I am engaged to a tradesman named Rodyn. We are not wed, yet. This was an honest answer.

When he asked if she might show him the places that her heart ventured when she needed peace, Samani could not help but smile.

Come, I will show you one of these places. The girl motioned with her snout for him to follow.

samani was promised but was not yet wife. his brightberry eyes lit with pleasure at this and he fell into step beside the sea-walker's side.
"the moonwoman calls the sea the long salt. have you seen it, samani?" he looked toward her as they walked, eager to see this place and moreso to see the brush of her long lashes once more.

Cameo!

Aiolos walks the many worn trails of Moonglow, watching the lands as one guardian might. In the distance, he sees the new bright-eyed seal hunter and one of his eldest twin daughters. At first thinks little of it until he catches the wandering eyes of the man. A growl seeps out from Aiolos, a warning, but does not approach. Instead, keeps making way on his own path.

The girl smiled at his question.

I am fond of the sea. I hope to make a home near it, if I can find the strength to leave my mother’s village.

It was a difficult thing, this that she considered. Samani knew she would have a good life with Rodyn. She knew that he was patient. She knew that he would wait for her to decide which path would be theirs. It was good to have this support. She wished he would give voice to his wants more often, though. There were times when she felt that she had the most sway in their plans. Was this fair to him? No. Was it fitting for the daughter of the Moonwoman? Perhaps.

And you, Chakliux? Do you enjoy the salty waters?

the seal hunter's eyes caught sight of the sun man. he heard the low sound and responded by stepping away somewhat from samani, shaken.
it would be a moment that chakliux would horrendously forget.
she recaptured his smiling attention. "i lived near the salt all my life. all we eat was taken from the water. even our homes were made of salt-ice."
samani sought strength.
"it is hard to leave the place of your birth. but all of us must do it at one moment or another, seawater woman."

The white man said that all children must leave the place of their birth, at some point. Samani was not certain that she agreed. The sea girl knew that she would be allowed to live in her mother’s village for as long as she desired. Kukutux was a good woman. She loved her children with her entire spirit, soul, and body. The young girl could not help but wonder if Chakliux had known such love in his life.

Perhaps when Rodyn and I have decided our path, you can come to see us. It will give you some familiarity… being so close to the water.

Samani thought of the rolling waves and her heart longed for them. She hoped that she was not pulling Rodyn away from a place he loved. She wished that he would voice his thoughts more.

The girl had noticed the space Chakliux had given her. She eyed him curiously.

chakliux wanted to tell this polite girl many things but she was settled toward her husband.
"i will do this. i would like to see the sea once more. rodyn is first-hunter here. he will bring much meat for you and his children."
her eyes were on him. he rolled his shoulders. "the one called sun man, he is your father?"

He is a good man, she said in a voice that was knowing and older than she was. Samani’s spirit was at peace when she was with him.

Chakliux asked about her father, then. The girl’s sea eyes fixed to him curiously. There was a reason for his inquiry that she could not unearth. It bothered her not to know it. She wondered if she might be able to provide enough that he would reveal his curiosity to her. The seal hunter man was a curiosity. She enjoyed his company but he did not give her the same feeling of comfort as Rodyn did.

He is. Aiolos is his name. He is also fond of the sea. Something you can share, Samani said and laughed.

a good man! did he please samani? did he bring fire to her heart? these things might have been asked by chakliux had he not seen the way her father had looked toward him,
aiolos. "he is not a man of the north?" the seal hunter asked, though how could he be with such a coat of red!
his brightberry eyes searched now to see if samani's man would come upon them also.

No, but he is a quick learner. My father has followed my mother’s ways. He is a northern man in his spirit, Samani assured him. There was a light laugh on the end of her words.

Chakliux intrigued her. His boldness and his bright eyes were an intensity she hadn’t experienced for herself. The wolves she had met were softer and carried themselves with a sense of caution. This seal hunter did not have a cautious bone in his body, she thought. He was proud and bold, and he made certain that those around him knew it.

You do not like that he isn’t of the north? Samani wondered aloud. Her jadewater eyes were prying on him. Rodyn is also not a northerner. But he had proven himself time and time again.