Herbalists' Cache Uqqurmiut

@Kekoa

the journey back felt longer than before. whether it was due to the terrain (as she fjorded the marsh and had them crossing the plains, rather than keep on a more northerly route) or because the addition of this boy slowed them down, sulukinak soon realized it would take a day or so before they'd return to the riverside. if they returned.

what was the likelihood that this boy would follow her all the way across the taiga?

so, along the way sulukinak made use of their lagging pace. if she saw a particularly vibrant plant, she'd stop to sniff it. if there was some odd looking lichen or moss growing in the marsh, or strange looking flowers in the plains, she'd make note of them and even look to the boy, as if he might have answers.

what's this? what's this?

as they neared the shelter of a forest (herbalist cache), sulukinak looked again to the boy.
it isn't far now. she'd said that a few times already.

He had answered he questions each time - sharing what he knew of the plants. It seemed that he understood the uses for most, but the name's often evaded him.

Each time she would say 'it isn't far now' he found himself growing irritated. He had no issue keeping pace nor was he tired, however he was beginning to question if his time was being wasted.

The cover of forest they were in was rich with familiar plant life; he would take what he could to make his work easier once they did arrive.

"You've said that a few times now. Can't you give me some sort of timeline?" Would it be minutes? Hours? Days?

it had taken them a few hours to reach the forest and sulukinak wasn't sure if the yearling would manage the rest of the way. it had taken her more than a day to reach the tangle initially, along with stops along the way to scour for wolf-scent as she hunted for help.

this was a good place to rest and gather her bearings. to reflect on her plan - if she even had one - and think of the best way to convince this person to stay the course.

she settled beside him in another sit, as she had during their initial meeting; this time there was something bothering her and it was clear by the way she wasn't holding his gaze, and instead seemed agitated.

my uncle's home is that way. she admitted this, motioning with her nose in to the north. best to come clean about that much; it was far, and maybe the boy would want to leave. do you see those mountains far away? its not that far. the base of it, there is a river. that is home.

of course, the mountains looked impressively distant from this vantage point. the blue sky above them petered out to a hazy gray where the glacier sat upon the horizon.

He looked to the mountains she spoke of. He could handle going that much further. "I don't have anywhere else to be - I'll keep my promise."

At that moment he realized that he did not yet know the other's name - nor did she know his. How rude of them.

"Your name - am I allowed to know what it is?" He saw no reason why not.

to sulukinak's surprise, the boy did not balk at the distance. she was lucky then; lucky to have found someone without any ties - lucky even that his ma was dead, leaving him unmoored and easily swayed. her spirits brightened somewhat.

when he asked for a name she was tempted to say nothing; instead, she murmured, siñiktigauraq — and flashed a glance at him then, expectant, waiting for his own name. there was no doubt in her mind that cen would be pleased by her discovery and she was more focused on that rather than truth-telling.

rest here now, or go? she would leave this up to the boy.

He nodded, mumbling the name under his breath in an attempt to memorize it. He never forgot a name - of plants maybe, but never anything or anyone important. "I'm called Kekoa." He offered his own name in return, before considering her question.

He could keep going; he was young, his joints would allow for it. "If you don't need to rest we can continue."

kekoa. it had a musical tempo to it which sulukinak found odd, but not unpleasant. it wouldn't matter; once she had learned all she could, and once everyone at the riverside was healthy, then the boy could go again. or maybe cen would not even like the boy! sulukinak was briefly full of wonder, considering how her uncle may react; having sent her to find a healer, he likely expected someone senior, not this.

good. then, we go. she answers him — happy to set off again, and this time at a quicker pace as familiar landmarks appear around them.