Moonspear naunt

sorrow for his lost children had not left chakliux.
but he would tell no one of this. while nasamik healed and nursed raiyuk, the seal hunter man pursued game, throwing himself into providing for his lodge and his pack.
today he was bloodied from chin to chest. he had snapped at a wild pig in passing and had given chase, wounding it once before its fellows charged him.
now he looked for another of moonspear to accompany him and finish the kill.

Couldn't resist. <3

Elentari's thoughts were swarming. Making her restless. Making her paws itch. To try and focus her mind elsewhere. There was plenty to keep her busy. Search for new herbs to stock in her den, now that the plant life was growing again. Fill the caches with fresh food, especially with new mothers and the babes.

She needn't look long to find something. Tell tale droplets of bright red blood splattered against the stone mountain trail. The strong scent of wild pig, paired with the Seal Hunter. It would be her first true one on one with him. Not that she minded the circumstances. Spotting his blood ridden white form, she called out to him, though softly, so as not to scare the quarry, should it still be in the vicinity.

<3

flickering eyes of northernmost ice; shadow over dark water. the seal hunter aligned his path with hers at once, senses drinking her scent.
he did not say anything; he flagged her on with a proud leap forward and led her through the churned snow to where the blood ran hotter and the pig could be seen shuffling in the far distance.

She fell into step at once behind him. Silent and wordless. Their voices were not needed here. The most skillful hunters communicated non-verbally. Knowing what their team mates were thinking. Able to anticipate what they would do, and when. This occasion would be a fine test of how synchronized a team the Seal Hunter and the Star Queen could be.

Her experience with pigs was limited. She had been educated that they were flighty, panicky little morsels. Cautioned of their tusks, and even hooves. The mini sabers their prey wielded, she would harvest. Save for later and grind the points down to blunt tips. Safe enough to use as decorations or perhaps toys, when the puppies were old enough. An Archer believed nothing of a kill should go to waste.

She flagged her shadowed tail once. A signaling banner, as she veered to the side. Her intent clear, to get ahead of the pig and cut off it's escape route. It would bolt once the pale hunter closed in.

graceful the hunters of moonspear.
seal hunter man and huntress moving in tandem. she moved to cut off decamping. chakliux soared forward and wounded its shoulder.
he whirled from its tusks.
dancing; dancing; berry-eyes bright once more with the alacrity of the dangerous steps. he would hold its attention this time.

Her heart thrummed, adrenaline streaming through her veins, fueled by the thrill of such a hunt. Together, she and her snowy counterpart worked seamlessly. She smiled, however faint, at the notion. He struck, slicing a deep wound into the hog's shoulder. It's squeal of pain and outrage hurt her ears, but she held her ground.

Like a flowing blot of freshly spilled ink, the Archer broke from her position. Sweeping in to intercept and corner their victim, who still had plenty of fight left in him. Snapping, her open jaws reached to grasp at a meaty haunch. She braced for the pig to whirl on her, surely. But if she could hold on, she might be able to control it long enough for Seal Hunter to inflict serious damage.

she was a spreading of shadows against the fading winter. like a spirit of the night she struck.
pig's-blood filled the air.
desire filled the face of the seal hunter.
the pig kicked weakly in its death throes, its neck cut open in a great gout of blood that had sprayed his entire chest, dripping from his fur, his chin, his manhood scars.
chakliux grinned. "tell me your name." he had heard it. he wanted to hear it again, in her voice.

In her jaws, the pig thrashed. Then stilled, as the white one silenced it, forever. The delectable taste of it's blood tickled her nostrils. Bubbled up from the wound inflicted by her teeth, tainting her lips dark. And Seal Hunter as well.

The Archer could not help but look upon his blood marred form appraisingly. The paint of a true hunter, worn with pride. She released her hold, temporarily distracted from harvesting the spoils of the hunt. Stormy blue eyes flashed, the corner of her lip twisting into a slight grin.

"Elentari Archer." Her voice was a drawl, a near purr. She did not announce it's meaning. "You are Seal Hunter. Chakliux." 

elentari archer, woman who hunted tusked monster in the brush. it pleased chakliux that she already knew him, and he wondered what had been said. "i am," he affirmed with a grin. "will the archer hunter help me to cut this into many pieces, for your ulaq and my lodge?"
he used a seal hunter word for his own shelter, testing to see if elentari knew the difference. she was not a northern woman.

"Gladly." She replied. She moved to step near him, standing at the head of the boar. "Thank you for sharing. Take the choice cuts. For Nasamik and your son." She grinned, letting him know in this way, that she had shared time with his wife once before. 

"Are you in need of more skins? My ulaq is sparsely decorated, as of yet." She hit the term on the mark, solidifying her knowledge. She was not a true northerner, but as an Archer, had lived in northern climates. Perhaps their ways had some similarities. 

She was tempting fate by standing so close. While leaning over to peel back the skin from around the tusks, while saving the tender snout meat. Her high tail wagged loosely, showing her good spirits.

his eyes received her beauty.
chakliux would never be a man who turned his gaze from lovely faces. he took hers in as if he touched the dew of the morning with his gaze. "take the skin, night hunter. put it in your sleeping-place."
his eyes glowed with the suggestion, and then he lowered his teeth to cut away pieces of the meat for each of them, staining himself more with blood.

"Thank you. It will be well suited as a base layer." She eyed the blood that seeped to his ivory fur. Not as seasoned as he in curing and trimming hides, she watched his movements carefully. Deliberately, she moved down along the neck line of the pig. Snipping with short clips of her teeth.

"What variety of pelts do you favor, Seal Hunter? I am new to the craft, yet I hope to refine my skills." She delved for a topic of conversation. She only had but one pelt yet, the black fox dappled one. Most undoubtedly her favorite, which would remain so, however large her collection may grow.

chakliux did not miss her eyes upon him. "dark fur. silver fur." his eyes glinted above a rakish smile. the seal hunter helped elentari to peel back the flesh in smoother cuts.
"where did you learn this crafting?" he asked, for she was not of his homeland. and this was a skill learned by the women of that place. chakliux held a great curiosity.

Whip like, she caught the implication. "Mmn, like mine. Like my first pelt, of dark fox." She referenced her one and only skin, tucked away back at her den. She grabbed the skin on one side of the pig, where it attached at the ribs. Peeled it down in one long stroke, to keep more of the resulting product intact.

"From observing, Sialuk, primarily. She is well practiced and I picked up what I could, seeing her at work." It was one thing to watch. Quite another to do it yourself. She had not considered this hobby until discovering the star woman's talent. It was appealing. Useful.

chakliux made no secret that he looked at elentari as she worked. "the rainstar knows many things. she is a good teacher."
yes. he watched her now as one might see potential in a large body of water.
"what else have you learned that is northern?"

"Besides hunting varied game, that may be it." She admitted. Her skill set of northern ways was nothing compared to his. But she did not appear sheepish or embarrassed.

"While it is true I have been to the north, it's clear you hail from a region far beyond what I have seen." His descent was clear in his pale coat. In his skills. The well traveled Archer found him fascinating, a prospect to teach her more of what she had yet to know.

he grinned. "then i will teach you."
chakliux glanced back toward his lodge; surely she would understand if he must leave for now. but his eyes rested on her again with bare admiration. "i have been many places. we will speak of them one day."
and he wished for it to come quickly.

She smiled. "I would like that." She could see that the seal hunter was eager to return to his lodge. They were finished skinning the wild boar and dividing the meat, anyways.

"Another time, next we meet. I will not keep you any longer." She said graciously. Bending down, she took the dislodged tusks in her mouth, along with a cut of ribs for herself. The rest, she would come back for shortly and deliver to the other residents in the village. With a flashing smile and a slight nod, she bid him farewell and went on her way.