Ocean's Breath Plateau and if it was an open-shut case

Ariadne had not strayed far from her den since she broke her leg. Her cast, although handy, was bulky and difficult to walk with, and she felt it was easier to stay inside and rest. This plan had worked for a while, but now she had grown restless and eager to get out and build her altar. @Kannoyak had been helping her gather supplies, and he'd amassed enough things to begin curating her shrine.

She'd managed to drag a deer skin out of the den, and now she sat next to it on her porch, panting laboriously—she'd grown lazy in the past few weeks! While she caught her breath, she looked out to the territory and ocean beyond, searching her surroundings for the perfect place for the offerings.

For @Phox! Tag for reference—let me know if you want it changed, Teo!

tag for reference. <3

He busied himself. Phox tracked herds near the plateau, reporting back to @Heph of the ungulates he had found south of their home. Not a large herd, but one the pack could likely feed off of if they needed to. They were a small pack, and Phox thought they would subsist fine on even one or two deer for quite some time, though they may need more if the children of Samani returned home.

Phox came upon a younger woman pulling something from her den, and he watched as she then looked out to the world, his gaze eventually catching hers. It was nobody he had met yet, but perhaps she had some task that he could help with. Phox approached with a wave of his tail, noting the strange thing on her leg. No more strange, he supposed, than his own missing limb.

Howdy there. Name's Phox. Anything I can help you with? he asked.

Phox approached, introducing himself and offering help.

Hello, Phox, Ariadne replied, tickled by his name—he wasn't a fox, he was a wolf! I am Ariadne. It is nice to meet you. And that is very kind of you to offer. I would appreciate it! She glanced behind her before continuing. Today, I am building an altar to bless the village Moontide. I have offerings in my den that I need to bring outside. Could you get them for me? She took a deep breath to steady her breath and scooched out of the way. I have some whale blubber, a stoat fur, and a conch shell. He would find everything in the back of her den, near her pile of bedding furs. The fat was on a bed of seaweed, and the shell was ontop of the nicely-folded fur.

She introduced herself, accepted the help, and explained what she was doing. Ariadne listed off a few things that she needed from her den, and Phox was more than happy to oblige. It was a much easier task that some of the others he'd been given over the years. The items were in plain sight, even in the semi-darkness of the den, and Phox pulled them out one by one, setting them down in front of Ariadne so she could reach them.

Are you building it here? he asked, or should I move them somewhere a little bit further? Phox had never been a particularly religious or even spiritual wolf. He believed in the things he could see, hear, and touch. But he wasn't about to poo-poo on whatever it was she wanted to do with her time. As he waited for he answer, he noted the splotchy brown color of her fur, the white markings on her face and the long white stockings on each leg.

Ariadne shook her head no and looked around. I ... haven't gotten that far, she admitted with a laugh as she searched their surroundings. But, I have an idea: do you know where my sistraa's death ulaq is? she asked the stranger. If you do not, it is not far from here, and I can show you the way if that is okay with you.

Her sister's grave was admittedly too close for comfort, and she was eager to distance herself, but that was not a topic she was comfortable discussing with Phox.

She suggested he take the items to her the burial place of her sister (at least he gathered as much from the few words he had learned while living in Moonspear). He shook his head when she asked if he knew where that was, and he was happy to oblige. Let me just... he said, pulling the items together and trying to figure out a way he wouldn't have to make multiple trips. He had seen Sialuk carry a great number of things all at once before.

Do you have a skin that I could bundle these in? he asked. Typically, he had seen the leader of Moonspear lay all the things she wanted to carry on a skin, then pull the corners into one spot to put together a little makeshift satchel. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it seemed to get the job done.

Oh! Ariadne exclaimed. Yes! Let me go and get that for you! With that, she disappeared and re-emerged moments later with a large buckskin. Here, she said, hoisting it over towards it and flopping it to the ground before him, This should hold everything.

Ariadne offered him a large skin, which Phox straightened out and piled on the contents she wished for him to carry. Once they were all loaded up, he fumbled around with the corners until the items were more-or-less secure in their makeshift bag. It was a bit more difficult than Sialuk had ever made it look, but he imagined having four legs instead of three probably made the balancing act a bit easier.

Phox nodded for Ariadne to lead the way.

When Phox indicated he was ready, Ariadne set off toward the death ulaq in search of the perfect place from the altar. When the gravesite came into view, she veered to the right, opting to wander towards a hillside overlooking the ocean. There was a flat crest, perfect for her to place the items, and she paused at the spot and looked at the other wolf with a smile.

This is the place, she decided. We will lay hide and stones here and put the offerings on top of them, she figured that he could organize the base while she tinkered with the placement of the offerings. How does that sound? she asked.

It wasn't too far, though Phox's jaw was more than ready to release when they arrived at the spot where Ariadne had led him. He did so gently, spreading out the large skin on the ground and letting her decide where things should go and in what arrangement. He didn't want to intrude too long, so once he had finished his part of the process, he left her to it. After all, it was a tribute to her sister, not his own.