Ouroboros Spine but my dreams aren't as empty as my conscience seems to be

AW but maybe @Ariadne? :o

the days were longer now. peregrine spent much of his time hunting; moonglow had many mouths to feed, and now the boy was responsible for a good chunk of them. hunts, however, did not seem to be going his way lately — today, a herd of mule deer evaded him as he'd chased them almost to the neverwinter, and now he returned empty handed and exhausted.
frustration grips him as he trails near the ulax, breath still catching up to him as heat begins to bead upon his forehead. the spring's brood were lively, he notes, as he is stopped abruptly by a gaggle of children who bolt straight in front of him as if he isn't even there.
his trudging takes him to the lakeside, as it typically did when the imposing thoughts swarmed his mind. he thinks of galana as he stares at his rough-edged reflection, a tightness forming in his throat; he wasn't worthy of her, or any child of the moonwoman. he was no husband. he was not even a hunter.
he wonders if the village would be better off without him.

Ariadne decided to focus on preparing Kannoyak's beaver fur despite having other tasks for her spirit journey. After finishing skinning the animal and storing the meat in the cache, she made her way towards the lake to clean the pelt. Upon nearing the lake, she caught sight of a familiar figure, prompting her to pause and place her materials on the ground. 

Peregrine? she called out. Is that you? She didn't know he belonged to Moonglow!

a voice. not just any voice; he knew this one, the delightful timbre. ariadne?
a small, sheepish grin unfolds upon his features as he turns to face the pretty girl. she looked more grown up, somehow, radiant and newly curved with what peregrine could only guess was from motherhood. his emotions rifle from surprise to something like jealousy and then to confusion, but his expression remains still.
when did-- i mean, it's good to see you, he chirps, raising a hind leg to scratch behind an ear. are you visiting, or...?

As he verified her suspicions, her face brightened, and she collected her belongings before closing the space between them. It is good to see your face, too! My family and I live here now, she said once she had organized her belongings on the floor. We have not been here for very long—just about fifteen moons—so it's no wonder we are just seeing each other, still, it was such a nice surprise to run into him.  

You live here, too, right? she asked, sniffing to see if he smelt of somewhere else, as she assumed that was why he was here.

she lived here! but then there is that dreaded word that no bachelor ever wants to hear from the mouth of a woman he trailed after — family. this, of course, came with the assumption that she had a husband.
yeah, i, uh, i moved here-- goddamn, i guess it's been a while now, hasn't it? i got kicked in the head by a bison a while back. kukutux saved me. been here ever since. he studies her with a sweep of his gaze from her limbs to her shoulders to her face, the soft glow of her cinnamon-dashed features something he now took the time to silently appreciate.
you've got a family, huh? his crooked grin grows. congratulations. i think. or my condolences, depending on how you feel about it, and, um, what brought you here. how'd you end up here? moonsong not work out? god, he was talking too much already.

She was taken aback by the news of his injury, but upon looking him over, she was relieved to see that he seemed to be fully recovered. I am glad that you are okay! How did that even happen? She thought back to the bison hunt, and wondered if it'd happened there. 

She laughed as he congratulated her. Thank you—it is a good thing, I promise. But, yes, many things happened. Do you have the time to hear all about it? she teased.

wow sorry for being late asf to this D:

honestly, i don't even remember, his brow furrows as he thinks aloud, mumbling incoherently under his breath. i'unno. but, hey, it didn't kill me. i consider that a win.
she had a family and she was happy. there was no reason for this bitterness which climbed up his throat; it's not as if he'd ever actually gotten anywhere with her all those moons ago. he hides his dismay behind his somewhat bashful grin, boyish and yet sharp with the cut of his teeth.
i'm all ears.

No worries!

Given the circumstances, it was understandable that he couldn't remember what happened, and she felt empathy for him. She couldn't imagine being in his situation, and she was glad that it seemed that he was on the mend and doing well. 

Upon his invitation to share her story, she took a deep breath and prepared to go over the events of the past few months. It was quite a lot to recount, as much had happened, but she was always open to sharing what had occurred—even if she wasn't proud of everything that'd happened.

I fell in love with a man named Kigipigak, who my family did not like, and in an act of rebellion and stupidity, I abandoned village Moonsong after the bison hunt. I had reached my limit of my family's judgement, and I wanted to be with him and the children we had conceived during the hunt. 

We went north and we lodged at a Tartok camp. It was there that I was given the title of Issumatar, a leader in their culture, and instructed in their practices.

Then, we traveled south and established a village to protect our children. Stratos, my brother, came with us, and everything was going well until another village settled next to us. After a few months, I requested to return to Moonglow when things became too much with the other pack, and upon coming back, I chose to break things off with Kigipigak—we are just too different, and it's for the best. So now it is just me and my children here.

so much had happened to her. peregrine listened, his expression mildly shifting with shock and subsequent relief. an ex-husband who, seemingly, pumped-and-dumped; alone here with her children!
i'm really sorry that all happened to you, a thin-lipped frown finds his countenance, the sharp glint of the tangerine eyes softening. that's-- really tough. wow. i don't even know what to say.
he shifts to place an awkward paw on her shoulder. i'm glad you told me. it sounds like you're better off here, y'know? you've got your family, your friends... me.

He was supportive and kind in his response. Softening and appreciating his sentiments, she leaned into his touch, closed her eyes, and sighed. Yes, she agreed. She was thankful for the support that Moonglow had provided her, and felt that she couldn't have gotten through the prior weeks without them. I am very appreciative of village Moonglow. Life is much better now that I am home.