Firefly Glen homecoming

@Kannoyak — only if you want! <3

She set her eyes then upon uppik. He was a hunter of few words, strong and lithe. He would make strong, healthy children for a wife. Perhaps upon a mountain, she mused to herself as she approached, her steps light and playful.

Come, she said, beckoning him away from the group, I will show you a story of movement I learned in my travels. Her hips swayed as she led him away from the group, meaning to give him a private show of a dance she had learned from far away.

Absolutely! Always want amazing threads. ^^

It was the hunter woman who spoke to him. Her words were kind, though she retained the sharpness of eye that she’d had during their hunt. The white man did not mind being led away from the others.

Without words, Kannoyak followed the hawk-eyed woman. The plum of his eyes shifted to the other white hunter man, then to the woman who had called them there. Both were fair of fur, pale with glittering eyes – one set green, the other magenta. Kannoyak felt that this village was special. He wished to remain there, for a time.

The pale wolf’s attention was returned to the woman who had beckoned him. She wished to show him the movements she had learned during her travels. Kannoyak was intrigued.

It is a story of annak and ugi, she explained. She also wished to know if he could speak the language of her people as some did. Those with thick white fur often came from the land her mother had been born to.

Sialuk let him settle in, and then she began. Her movements were slow at first, like the quickening of pups when they have not yet come into the world. And then, a rush! Sialuk pulled herself close to tappituk, brushing herself alongside him. Then away! She sprang herself around a tree, peeking half-faced for a moment before leaping back out into full view, breathless laughter in her throat.

Once close to him again, her movements slowed, and she sank to her belly, falling to one side and closing her eyes. She stayed like this for ten heartbeats before she rose to her feet, shaking the debris from her coat. Her hawk eyes searched his.

The huntress said that it was a story of annak and ugi. Kannoyak did not believe that their dialects were the same.

Annak is bird?

The white hunter did not know the second word she had offered him. His head twisted curiously. The huntress did not waste her time. As soon as he had settled, she began her dance. Kannoyak offered to her all his attention. The steady stare of his plum gaze did not waver as he followed her motions. Even in the swiftest of her movements, the huntress had strength and poise.

When she had finished, Kannoyak was quiet. He contemplated the story in her motion.

Ugi… is this death?

The white hunter lifted his chin. She had given him a fine dance.

IniKuk.

She laughed with her lungs, the sound soft and sweet like a trickle of a stream. Annak is wife, and ugi is husband, she said. But bird and death is good guess. Together, the wife and husband go to the dancing lights—this is where the voices of our kin take us when we leave this world.

This word you speak—inikuk—what does it mean? Like tappituk, she found that their words were similar, but not quite the same. It reminded her of the language Kigipigak used. She wondered now where he was. Perhaps anaa would know. Had he fought for Lane, like he'd said he would? Ah, but those thoughts clouded her vision for the wolf who stood right in front of her, and she set them aside.

I have forgotten to say! I am called Sialuk Ostrega.

Kannoyak smiled at her kindness. It had not been a good guess, at all. She was not offended by his poor understanding of the story. She explained that this was the way of her people. When they departed the hunting grounds, they would journey to the dancing lights. The white hunter thought this was beautiful, so he did not amend his original compliment. The man only bowed his head in understanding.

IniKuk – this is beautiful.

The huntress gave him a name. She was called Sialuk Ostrega. The white hunter nodded his head.

Ah, rain drop. He did not know the meaning of Ostrega, though. He would never have guessed such a name for her intensity. There must have been great depth to the woman.

This one is called Kannoyak Sura. Cotton grass in green leaf.

She soaked in the meaning of the word, feeling warmth in her cheeks for a moment. To have the attention of a man brought a sensation over her that she had grown to enjoy. Even more-so when that man had nice things to say of her work.

Sialuk beamed when he knew the meaning of her name. Aya! My mother says the skies wept the day I was born, and this is how my name was given. Though she did not remember that day, the story had been told to her countless times by anaa, and every time it grew more solid in her heart. And to think! This year, the raindrop may have her own story to tell.

It is good to know your name, Kannoyak Sura. And you are new to this place, yes?

The skies had wept on the day she had been born. This was how she had earned her name. Kannoyak thought that it was fitting. In the little river village, it was a sign of fortune to be born on a day of snow. He wondered if Sialuk had been considered just as favored.

She asked if he was new to their lands. The white hunter bowed his head.

Yes. These hunting grounds are prosperous.

Kannoyak thought that he would remain for some time. He wished to see how many villages had been made in these lands. If they were anything like the wolves of Moonglow, it would be a bountiful place to roam.

You are from the village in the stone nest? he asked, gesturing to Moonglow’s natural rocky borders.

Sialuk smiled at his observation, then shook her head at his question. It is where anaa—my mother—lives. But she brought life to me on Moonspear. This is where I intend to bring life to my own sons and daughters, now that I am woman. The raindrop was eager to see her own babes play among the slopes as she and braataa had done in their earliest days. She was eager also to know who their taataa would be, but such a thing could not be known just yet.

I cannot do this alone, and this is why I come here tonight, she said. You see? The Ostrega was not shy in her intentions. She meant to find her ugi before her time came. The year prior, she had been away from home and had hidden herself from hunters and traders, taking shelter in a group of women who worshiped the long salt lake and the moon. Sialuk had found them to be quite agreeable. The brought to her thoughts of Sapphique, of Meerkat.

Woman and hunter and daughter of the village leader. Kannoyak was not a foolish man. He understood that she was important. It would have been a great honor to be spoken to the way that she had, to be given a dance. The plum-eyed wolf was touched. His features were stoic, impassive. The high thoughts that he had for Sialuk were not shared with her.

Yes, this one understands.

Kannoyak thought the mountain she referenced was beautiful.

Are there any that have drawn the eye of the hunter woman? he asked her, next. The choice would be hers and hers alone. She sought someone to build a family with. Kannoyak thought that his mother would be pleased to see him stand before Sialuk.

The year prior, she could have been a mother, but her spirit was not in it. This year, however, she felt her heart yearn for the opportunity. She knew also that anaa's place in Moonglow was stable. There would be no fear of pulling apart that place. Sialuk was to make her own way in the world, back atop Moonspear.

She laughed gently at his question. Aya, there are some, she said, even though she sensed he wished to know which faces came to her mind. Each of those she spoke with tonight would be a contender. And you, Kannoyak? Your eyes are drawn to more than this hunter woman?

There were more than a few. The men who had answered the call for brides each had their appeal. It seemed as though it was up to the women to decide which of them fit their needs. The white hunter thought it was a suitable thing. He did not know his reason for answering. Curiosity, maybe…

Sialuk asked him if his gaze was drawn by more than her.

Kannoyak fixed his plum stare upon her face. This one is only curious. The white hunter’s eye is drawn by racing prey.

The sharpness of her eyes was enough to hold him. The dance she had shared had been pleasant, alluring. She held herself in a way that would make any man proud to call her wife. Kannoyak did not imagine that she would struggle to find a suitable man among those who had gathered.

All who have gathered are beautiful, in their ways. The men and women alike.

Aya, she agreed. Sialuk found him rather pleasing to her eye, and she had seen his prowess as a hunter. Smiling, she plucked a flower from the wreath hung around her neck and placed it at her feet.

If, in days to come, your spirit thinks of me, come to the tallest mountain in the range. It is where I will be. An open invitation to explore what could be between them. There were others to meet, and Sialuk slipped back into the midst of the group, assessing each one in kind.

last one from me to wrap this up! <3

Thank you so much for the thread! <3

A flower was presented from her wreath. The white hunter regarded it with thoughtfulness. It was a kind gesture from the woman. Kannoyak would not squander such a thing.

The raindrop woman spoke of the tallest mountain on the range. She said that if his spirit thought of her, he should venture there. The man bowed his head in thanks. As she slipped back into the group to speak with some of the others, Kannoyak remained beside the flower. He admired its color and the delicacy in its petals. Such a fragile thing in winter.

Collecting the gift, he carried it with him to his sleeping place and made a spot for it beside him in the dirt.