Moonspear who are you

depending on how many join, i plan on posting in rounds! once every few days. :)

Like their older brother and sister, @Panuk and @Rolayne grew steadily. They began to eat flesh rather than subsist purely on the milk provided to them. Sialuk had begun nipping at them when they asked for milk, a task she had performed with her own children not yet a month gone by. It was a bittersweet moment, knowing they no longer needed her to survive, but she knew also her body greatly needed the rest and recovery that came from no longer feeding them. She had thinned in the past months, her fur less luxurious than it had been before. It would return, she knew. Sialuk had seen her own mother go through the process.

She had brought all four children—including @Maggak and @Acrux—to the healing den today, a place they should know should they ever need it. The starwoman invited them to explore nearby while she busied herself with making sure the old fallen tree was in good, clean shape.

his body had grown quicker than he could adjust to it, paws large and limbs long. he swore he was taller than maggak now too, though when they measured in size against each other and came out the same height, he blamed it on her standing on tip toes. at least he was certain he was taller than the youngest of the bunch, and glanced towards the pair of smaller boys as the family arrived at the healing ulaq. 

he did not wait for dismissal from anaa before he let his nose drop to the floor to begin investigating the scents surrounding the area. many had rest in the fallen tree before, though none too recent. he lifted maw from earth, baby blues glancing back towards the figures of his siblings, curious if they had discovered anything worth exploring.

If there was one thing to be said about Maggak, it's that her brain had begun to soak up information like a sponge. Any and everything; if wolves could read, she would likely have her nose in old, dog-eared books all day. Exploring, mapping, listening to tales of old — her greatest joy!
Anaa leads her and her brothers to a place not yet known to the starlet: the healing ulaq. Acrux wastes no time and charges right ahead, but the large, daunting curve of old, dead root is, in some way, intimidating to little Maggak.
She paces a few times before she hesitantly takes a few steps closer to the tree. It is chipped and dark, with chestnut ridgelines and soft moss sprawled around it in nature's embrace. She stares at it, then her brothers, and then anaa before she finally asks: What dis for?

Sialuk watched as Panuk, Rolayne, and Acrux scattered to the winds, exploring the new place at their own speed. But it was Maggak who stayed close to her mother, hesitant to step into the tree cave. She wished to know what this place was for, and anaa was happy to oblige.

When we are hurt, we cannot always climb the mountain. Here, in the quiet of this tree's bosom, those who are sick or injured may rest until they are well again. Many had spent time here. Twice now those who had encountered cats with sharp claws and sharper teeth had come here to have their wounds tended.

he weaseled his way between rolayne and panuk, nose sniffing eagerly at the ground to see if the younger duo had discovered anything noteworthy. but they had not, and so acrux swiftly moved himself along, attention eventually shifting towards his sister and mother. 

he meandered his way over towards the two pale figures, arriving just as anaa answered a question he had not heard. this tree was for the sick and injured, and a part of him wished then to never have to visit it. not for himself, nor any of his family. even as a child, acrux understood that he did not ever wish to witness his family in poor health. 

"das it always make 'em better?" he questioned with youthful innocence.

Ah, so it was a special healing ulaq! Acrux approaches yet again, and Maggak gives him a sharp nod of her head; tail swinging upward into a propeller-wag at the mere excitement of seeing him again.
He inquires about the status of those who have come and gone, and admittedly, Maggak too was curious. But, being the inquisitive child she is, her mind wanders to a topic more pulling. Her eyes light up, huge and oblivious, and crouching close to her anaa with a crooning whisper, she asks: Has anyone died here?

Acrux and Maggak each brought their own question forth. They were not difficult questions to answer—simple yes or no—but Sialuk found herself emotional over the tone of the questions considering her own sister's recent death. It was a part of the way the world worked, but it did not make the loss hurt any less. Nobody has died here, she said, a soft, sad smile pulling at her lips. She turned to pick up a fallen stick, moving it to the outside of the hollow tree before returning her attention to Acrux and Maggak.

Everybody who has come here has gotten better, she said to them. There had been the timid boy with the half-missing tail... but even he seemed to have made it as far as crossing out of Moonspear's territory. She did not know where he had gone, but he did cross her mind from time to time.

his sister asked a grimmer questioned than he, though both were answered. acrux listened as anaa explained, baby blues tracing over the thin line that formed a frown on his mother's lips. he was an observant boy, and stepped forward to brush along the pale fur of anaa in a comforting embrace. he did not know why she might be sad, but hoped a hug might help. 

as far as he understood, there was no reason to be upset. everyone who had come here had been healed. that was a good thing, was it not?

Maggak, too, took notice of the sadness that crept up on anaa. She had the same look in her eyes that she did when Panuk and Rolayne first came here. She throws her arms around the big pale shoulder, blowing a snuffle from her nose as her face disappears into the ruff of her chest.
Death seemed to surround the village. Not that Maggak had much of a concept of what it was, but she had slowly begun to understand what had happened to her aunt — she had died, gone to the land of the dancing lights, and that is why sadness seemed to cling to her family.
Anaa says no one has perished during their time here. Something tells Maggak that wasn't true, but she has no way to prove it; she offers her wordless embrace anyway and gives a passing look of knowing to Acrux.

fade here? trying to wrap up some older threads!

Both children rushed to comfort her, and Sialuk felt her heart swell with gratitude for them. The ancestors had brought her two wonderful children. They were kind, caring, and loving. She could not imagine the two of them being anything other than what they were: perfect. Sialuk returned their affections, licking the tops of their heads and knowing that here, in village Moonspear, they were safe. It seemed as though the mountain had taken enough lives for a very long time, and balance now came back by way of healing those who came here.

Panuk and Rolayne made sounds of discontent nearby, and Sialuk found herself worrying about them. We will return home when the sun begins to hide, she said. Then, she let them explore at their leisure, checking in on her nephews to make sure they weren't getting into too much trouble.