Moonspear You are the only mother I have ever known

Anyone in Moonspear, and @Towhee is welcome to join, but he's looking for @Sialuk.

The dawn of morning saw Rolayne at the base of the mountain. He was exhausted. Such a trek should have been impossible for such a young wolf, but he was determined to get to her. He had thought of her every day since he had been taken from Moonspear. And he did feel as if he was taken. He had not gone willingly. He felt as if his tiny heart had been torn in two, and half of it had stayed with Sialuk. 

Sure, numerous adults, including his Dad and Sialuk, had explained that she wasn't his mother. She was not the one who brought him into this life. He understood that. But, Sialuk had been there from the first moment he could remember. She had mothered him, fed him, groomed him, chided him, and loved him. By all the ways he understood what a mother was, she was his. 

And this is what kept him putting one paw in front of the other. He had paused momentarily to gaze up at the mountain, a massive undertaking for the pup. But, once the wind brought with it the scent of the borders of Moonspear, he continued on. He was so close.

It took him quite some time to reach the borders, and every muscle in his body screamed while his lungs struggled to suck in air. Even as much energy as Rolayne had, this was really much beyond his abilities. And, yet, as he stepped into the territory, he knew he had done it. 

He did not bother to call anyone at the borders, as he felt this was his home, and he was here for his mother. His tail gave a brief wag as he smelled her scent marked on the territory line. He would have called for her, howled to let her know he was here, but he did not have the energy to do so. One paw in front of the other. Repeat. He had slowed to barely a walk, and his head hung low, but he would not stop. He could not.

They arrived at Moonspear. Rolayne stopped at its foot and Towhee did too, intending to finally close the distance. Hopefully he wasn’t run nearly so ragged. She wanted to check, make sure he was alright and let him know she was here. Instead, she fell asleep standing up.

When she snapped out of it just a minute or two later, Rolayne was gone. Towhee called his name as she lurched toward the borders. She still didn’t see him and now he’d gone someplace she couldn’t follow. He knew he should be safe here, but trespassing still wasn’t ideal.

Blinking grainy eyes, she raised her muzzle to announce her presence at the borders. Towhee added a tired footnote: “And Rolayne is currently on the loose, running up the mountain…”

Towhee's voice was one she had not heard in some time, but Sialuk was never disappointed to hear her. The message, however, was concerning. Sialuk thought to howl back, to let Towhee know she was welcome, but she quickly remembered it would do no good. Instead, she motioned to Sixsix, gave him a sprig of rosemary, and sent him toward the Redhawk matriarch.

Moments after he spread his wings and took flight, Rolayne was on the doorstep of her ulaq. He looked exhausted, and Sialuk frowned. She had known that the transition had been rough on him and Panuk, but she had not wished for him to journey all this way. It had been unfortunate that he had not attended the large hunt in Hoshor Plains, where she could have seen him, comforted him, let him know that if he wished to visit, he should ask for an escort.

Come in, she said in their shared language, beckoning him into the quiet warm calm of the ulaq.

---

Sixsix swooped down to Towhee, dropping the sprig of rosemary in front of her and squawking. He hopped repeatedly on the snow, making gradually larger movements toward the mountain, inviting her in.

just a cameo instead of starting a new thread when i have so many.

Miles away rodyn came to his homecto find his child and Towhee gone and their movements it seem were in haste if the tracks were anything to go by. At least on Towhee's favor. Which meant rolayne.

His voice lifted in fevered worried pitch. Rolayne

It was as if his paws knew what his conscious did not - the location of the den he had spent his first eight weeks in. When his eyes finally settled on Sialuk, there was a weight lifted off of his heart that his young mind could not understand. He headbutted her neck, and gladly went into the den, where he would sleep off his exhaustion.

A few hours later, Rolayne emerged from the den with renewed energy. He greeted Sialuk with happy whines and kisses, his whole body wagging along with his tail. In the midst of this, he said, Momma go back, his voice soft but elated. It wasn't a question, it was a fact. In his mind, they would both return to Moontide.

Maybe another wolf would’ve found it strange to be welcomed by a bird. But Towhee immediately understood the invitation and offered Sixsix a salute as she headed up the mountain.

By the time she tailed Rolayne to Sialuk’s ulaq, Towhee was running on fumes. She had a very bad feeling she was going to be in a world of hurt tomorrow.

Hi, was pretty much the sum of her sleep-deprived greeting before she slumped nearby and fell fast asleep.

She's down for the count, so skip away!

The starwoman welcomed him in, pulling a soft skin over him as he curled up to sleep. Not long after, Towhee arrived (job well done, Sixsix). Sialuk desperately wanted to tell Towhee about her daughter's visit, but the woman was already snoring by the time Sialuk opened her mouth. It could wait.

While the two of them slept, Sialuk went to the bones, taking the small pouch to her regular reading spot and hoping to gain clarity and perhaps a plan for the predicament Rolayne had put both her and Towhee in. The motions were ones she had practiced hundreds, perhaps thousands of times now, and they came to her easily.

The first that appeared was one that must have represented herself in this situation. It was a bone that she often read as herself or another kind healer woman, such as anaa or Seal. The second, she thought, was portraying Rolayne's inability to let go of her, of the spear, of what he had come to know as his. The last, and perhaps most important bone that stood out to her was that which would push back if she pushed hard on him. No, she would use a soft hand, as indicated by the first bone, to show him that she could both stay here, he go home, and they could find peace in this arrangement. After, she sat outside the ulaq, meditating on the message and putting together words to ease Rolayne's troubled spirit.

He emerged in time, and she patted the ground next to her when he spoke.

You came a long way from the saltwater, she said. But did you not ask for help?

It was true that Towhee had tailed him, but the Redhawk's message had made it sound as though this was not a journey that had been planned.

Sialuk patted the ground next to her, and Rolayne happily plopped his rump down in the spot. His tail wagged as he looked up at her. He seemed to be expecting something, but even his young mind didn't know what. He was happy to be here, with her. 

His ears perked at her question. For a moment, his mind was stuck on the word "saltwater." He hadn't been to the ocean yet, but it was a strong smell within the territory since they were nearly on its doorstep. 

Bringing his mind back to the moment, he shook his head to her question. Just came, he said. A pup of few words, he didn't think to explain to her that he hadn't planned to come here. It had happened in the moment. By time he realized Towhee had come with him, he was too close to stop, and he feared if he did, she would drag him back to Moontide before making it here.

Two words for an explanation, and it was no explanation at all. Sialuk sighed softly. The childhood of his and his brother's had been a difficult one, and she wondered now if Rodyn had made the wrong choice to move them back as soon as they were able. Perhaps it would have been better for them to grow up here and only return to their father when they were able to fully grasp the situation. It might have made for a good send off, just as Seal had done. The damage was done, now, and Rolayne did not see that he had caused trouble.

Next time you wish to journey, she said, find an adult to help. You are always welcome here, in village Moonspear, but to travel here on your own puts you in danger, even with aunt Towhee close behind. The starwoman could not fault him for wanting to be here, but Rolayne had not needed to run off unannounced. She was certain that—if he had asked his father, or even Towhee—he would have been allowed.

Rolayne just couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he had caused some trouble by just leaving when he had intended to come straight back with Sialuk. His ears perked as she spoke. He understood he was welcome here, but, in his mind, he wouldn't care about visiting here since Sialuk wouldn't be here. You come back with, he said. He hadn't bothered to speak two words since leaving Moonspear, and while his mind thought them, he was obviously behind in development when speaking them.

mind if we wrap here? seems like a good place to conclude!

Sialuk sighed at his comment. Or rather, his demand. She suspected that to refuse him now would cause a tantrum, which she had no intention of fueling. Instead, she smiled, then got to her feet.

Do you remember the healing ulaq? she asked, I have not attended to it since you were very young. Come with me and you will help. While he was here, the starwoman would put him to work. In the meantime, it would give her time to plan a way for him to find his path in this world.

Perfect!

His short attention span was perfect for anyone who wanted to change a subject with him. He thought for a moment, trying to remember if he remembered, but decided that he did not. He had been young, just two months old when he, his Dad, and brother had went to Moontide. His expression turned from thoughtful to happily excited when Sialuk said he could come along. He bounded around her, happy yips coming from his maw. A clear sign he was more than okay with tagging along.