Moonspear Equinox

Summer was just around the corner and the season made itself known with a particularly sunny afternoon. Njord traipsed beneath the trees, which were gushing green, in the shade to keep cool. Sialuk had returned, and it was a welcome distraction. These days, Njord thought often of Stingray and his other son, Swordfish,

“@Sialuk!” he called ahead when he spotted Moonspear’s leader. “It is good you are home,” he smiled as his red tail waved. “How was your journey?”

Ah, another face she had hoped to see sooner rather than later! Njord gave her a friendly greeting, and she responded in kind, tail wagging and generally just ~in a good mood.~ It was always so nice to be home, and Moonspear would always be that to her.

It was well! she replied. The mother and her children will live for many more winters. The woman had been young, and her children large, but Sialuk was proud of the work she had done to save them. It was a village she had taken shelter in during her previous travels, and she had promised to return if they ever needed her aid.

And how does the title of Councilor treat you? she asked, curious. Meerkat had quickly made it known she no longer wished for the responsibility, but perhaps Njord felt differently from his wife. When it came time for Sialuk to raise her children, she would need at least one other to help her lead the village.

Sialuk’s happy radiance was contagious and Njord’s spirit was elevated by it. His nose bumped her chin in wolfish deference. “That is good tae hear. Childbirth… och, what a trying time.” Njord reflected on Meerkat’s last pregnancy and the sickness she endured. He would have been beside himself if there had been further complications.

The conversation shifted to his role within the pack.

He gave a polite smile. “Ah’m happy tae serve Moonspear in whatever way ye ask of me. But I cannae help but feel others would be better suited for this role an’ thrive because of it.” Njord thought he would feel more integrated into the pack by holding an elevated position… but, if anything, it segregated him more. He laughed, desiring to keep the conversation light. “Ah feel guilty takin’ such an honor. Have ye considered Alaric, Elentari, or Argent?” Chakliux went unnamed, only because the man had one foot in each pack.

“Ah’m surprise Meerkat didnae want tae stay in leadership…” he added. “My wife, she has the knack for it. When Rodyn told us of Moontide’s low numbers she was fast tae act an’ find a solution.”

Njord seemed to find himself unfit for the role, though Sialuk felt he was anything but. The hunter was level-headed, kind, and his family kept him rooted here. She knew also that Meerkat had done well to suggest some help their sister village, keeping Moontide in good standing with them. Alaric had no ties here, and he seemed distant to her at times. Elentari was a near sure bet, but Sialuk thought she might soon be busy with children at her breast. And Argent... he had spoken of reclaiming the place where he had come into this world, and Sialuk did not wish to hamper his ambitions, no matter how selfish she wished to be.

You are Councilor not because of Meerkat, but because of your own spirit. If Alaric, Elentari, or Argent were better for Councilor, they would be, she said, a stern softness to her voice. She wished Njord to know that she had not made the decision lightly or without care. It was he and Meerkat she had entrusted while she had gone away, and she would not have changed that decision.