Duck Lake deset

all welcome — tags for reference! lmk if any are not okay :)

if she was not attempting to steal @Suliya aside to watch herds with her again, she was running wildly among them. her eyes forever looked for the bull she had marked with her teeth.

when she could run no more, she laid underneath the stars with @Ridgeback and felt warmth in her chest. content to trade stories of their days or what they had done among the herd that day.

tonight she was with no one, as of now. the edge of the lake reflected the full moon that hung pregnant in the sky. that same moon offered light across a land that otherwise seemed darkened. she could see the way antlers were highlighted in the distance and the figures of resting beasts nearly given halos around their forms.

she did not chase them now or score any with teeth.

instead she tested the edge of the cold water. daring in a way that did not involve the herds.

suliya moved along the lake’s edge, her gaze drawn to the soft shimmer of moonlight playing on the water. the night was unusually quiet, save for the distant breath of the herd and the gentle ripple of the cold surface. she had seen ice diver earlier—her towering frame unmistakable even amidst the vast expanse of this land—but had not crossed paths directly.

now, with the air thick with chill and solitude settling in, she thought of her. her lips twitched into a small smile as she glanced across the reflected light, speaking low as though ice diver might already be near.

how did you end up here, ice diver? she called, voice soft but carrying.

suliya's greyed eyes flicked toward the figures resting in the moonlit distance, then back to the water lapping at her toes. she had no need to fill the space beyond those words. ice diver, she thought, would answer when she was ready, and suliya would listen.

a voice, familiar and questioning.

she had went mid-leg deep into the frigid waters. what kind of name was ice diver if she could not handle the winter waters?

i could ask that, too, the moon glimmers against teeth shown in a smile. her head turned to look over her shoulder. grey winter stood strong against the dark. as if the moon had released a piece of itself to come live on earth.

suliya watched her, the way ice diver stepped into the icy grasp of the lake as if it were nothing. the cold bit at the air, a sharp thing, but suliya had known worse. she was muradoii—expected to face waters like these without a second thought, to follow the herds through their endless migrations, no matter the season.

her own steps were quiet but steady, the cold rising around her legs as she waded deeper, matching the other woman’s pace. the chill gripped her muscles, sharp and relentless, but suliya only smiled faintly, her breath fogging in the night.

lanzadoii, she spoke, voice low, a sentiment threaded through it, deep in my blood.

she tilted her head, the glint of her teeth catching the moonlight, an echo of ice diver’s smile. the water rippled around them, cold and dark, yet alive with their shared defiance.

your name makes sense, now.

jealousy.

she could not explain why it pained her so much the last few days. had she not been accepted into this life? had she not started to learn the tongue and the skills required? ice diver had come so far from the days of senka that in the spring there might not be a trace left.

perhaps the words were meant to be a compliment. instead her mind is only filled with ways on which she might improve herself.

teach me caribou clan words?

so that they would be bonded to one another. so that ice diver would be the only identity that mattered.

suliya nodded in quiet agreement, her gaze steady on ice diver. she couldn't sense much emotion from the woman— she'd only seen her smile once, even if it was a mere glimpse.

her head tilted slightly at the request, her scarred lips twitching into the faintest hint of a smile. as you wish. her voice was steady, though a flicker of warmth touched her words.

after a pause, she offered a few phrases, her tone soft but deliberate as she spoke in the languages of the caribou people;

nay'digaa'eł ts’iighaey. in her poised pronunciation, we follow the herd.

and another.

dinaaeł la.’ she waited. it is their time to run.

one more, to stifle curiosity.

assirtuq tangrri ciuni, nakek. maybe it was her own want for companionship. friends. it is good to see you, friend.

in the dark, she echoed. their voices became one. whatever grey winter said, ice diver repeated until she got it right — or close enough.

the last one caught her off guard. if only for its warmth and kindness. friend. not clan or hunter. her smile appeared again and it lingered longer this time. the cold waters that lapped at her stomach could not have turned her frigid now.

assirtuq tangrri ciuni, nakek.

her tail waved, droplets disrupted the surface.

want to be fluent in these words. for as much her own benefit as for the benefit of those around her.

suliya did not expect for ice diver to repeat the words back to her at the end; friend. were they friends, now? suliya had never been good at them, particularly. she was always surrounded by her family. family this, that, everywhere. but now...this was not family,

or was it?

friend, she repeated back in lanzadoii, cementing the word between them. if she remembered anything, remember this.

you will learn. we practice.

friend, an echo again but this time not hollow. spoken with belief and strength. ice diver had not had such in a long time. she could not count her husband as such!

it would be good to have someone close to her, someone to build a life alongside in these new ways.

when we hunt, when we watch, tell me things in this way. that way she might learn by doing and not just hearing.

suliya’s gaze softened at the word, friend. it rang with a sincerity that settled deep, warmer than the frost-laden winds that often cut through her life. a rare smile touched her lips, fleeting but real, as she let herself lean closer, her nose brushing against ice diver’s cheek in a gesture of quiet understanding and shared trust.

of course, she murmured, her voice steady, a vow in the simplicity of her words. i will teach you this way. it is better to feel the meaning in the doing.

her violet eyes held ice diver’s for a moment longer, and she tipped her head slightly, inviting a bond deeper than words alone. we will learn from each other, she added, her tone firm but kind. that is how it should be.

it seemed they understood one another in deeper ways than spoken. she appreciated this with a heaviness that could not be explained by words. only by actions. let them be loyal to one another, to come together under the banner of saatsine.

already her mind started to wonder about many things. marriages and children and longer walks.

her face turned to look out over the waters again. learn from each other. ice diver could not help but wonder —

what would you have me teach?

suliya’s gaze remained steady on the waters, the soft ripple of the surface reflecting the stillness in her own heart. for a moment, she said nothing, letting the weight of ice diver’s question settle between them like the hush before a storm.

finally, she turned her head, her violet eyes catching the pale light. whatever you will show me, she said quietly, her voice a murmur, soft but resolute. there was trust in her words, a rare thing, but it was there nonetheless.

her gaze lingered on ice diver, searching for meaning in their posture, their breath. let them teach her. let them forge something together, a bond unspoken yet unbreakable. let loyalty root deep between them, like the caribou’s unyielding march through snow-laden winds.

she liked her very much.

you will learn much with an open mind, she whispered for their nearness. she wore no grin now but her voice held warmth that contrasted against cold waters. there had been skills she carried long before she had become saatsine. now she refined them, sharpened them against the caribou hunts and cold nights.

she began to free herself of the frigid waters, yet she did not wish to remove herself from grey winter entirely. rest with me tonight. an invitation, an extended olive branch.

ice diver was aware that to keep the company of not-her-husband through the night might draw questions. let them question, she thinks. those who understood would understand.

how long had she only had ridgeback as trusted face for company? slowly sun eater had started to become such.

now she might have someone entirely in her presence for only herself and not for the cracking whips of fate. how would she cope if such a thing became lost?

learning is all i have, suliya murmured, her voice barely carried over the cold winds. no more words followed; instead, she silently pulled herself from the icy embrace of the waters, droplets clinging to her russet fur, shimmering like a thousand tiny crystals. and you.

as she stepped close, her nose brushed gently beneath ice diver’s neck—a gesture of acceptance, of warmth, of unspoken kinship. her breath mingled with the air between them, and for a fleeting moment, the cold world seemed smaller, softer.

she said nothing more, letting her actions speak where words might falter. she would follow, rest, and learn. hers was a life of seeking, of quiet understanding, and for now, that was enough.

fade? <3

grey winter would make someone very happy one day.

maybe it was a crude thought. it came from a place of kindness. the way the woman spoke, the way she composed herself so delicately even in her affections.

shoulder to shoulder, she meant to walk together as one now. off towards a clearing where they might watch the caribou through the darkest of the night. until they fell asleep or until the sun rose.